Kalaveti Ravu, the former Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, has received approval for a variation of his bail, allowing him to travel to China. Ravu faces a charge of abuse of office, alongside Tekata Toaisi, the regional manager for the Ministry of Fisheries.
The allegations against Ravu state that he interfered with a legitimate investigation by the Ministry into the illegal trade of prohibited beche-de-mer species during the period between July 25 and August 31, 2023. Toaisi is accused of assisting Ravu in this abuse of office.
Ravu had requested the bail variation to attend a workshop in China later this month as part of his duties as a member of parliament. Magistrate Jeremaia Savou instructed him to provide his travel itinerary to the court registry and to the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) before his passport can be released and the travel ban lifted.
FICAC lawyer Lavenia Ravuikadavu stated that she did not oppose the bail variation and confirmed that a pre-trial conference had taken place with both defendants’ counsels present. The court has scheduled the trial for February 3 to 7 of the following year, during which FICAC plans to call 12 witnesses and present 39 documents as evidence. The case has been deferred to January 7 for pre-trial proceedings.