Former Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, Kalaveti Ravu, has been granted permission to travel to China after applying for a variation of his bail conditions. Ravu faces charges of abuse of office, specifically related to an investigation by the Ministry of Fisheries into the illegal trade of banned beche-de-mer species, which is alleged to have occurred between July 25, 2023, and August 31, 2023.
Ravu is charged alongside the regional manager of the Ministry, Tekata Toaisi, who is accused of aiding and abetting Ravu in the alleged abuse of office. Ravu applied for bail variation to attend a workshop in China as a member of parliament later this month.
Magistrate Jeremaia Savou instructed Ravu to provide his travel itinerary to the court registry and to FICAC before his passport is returned and the departure order is lifted for his travel dates. FICAC lawyer Lavenia Ravuikadavu did not oppose the bail variation and confirmed that a pre-trial conference had already taken place with both defendants’ counsel.
The trial has been scheduled for February 3 to 7, next year, during which FICAC plans to present 12 witnesses and 39 documents related to the case. The matter will be revisited on January 7 for pre-trial proceedings.