The court hearing concerning the abuse of office allegation against former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum was postponed yesterday. The session was intended to address the State prosecution’s response to the defense’s challenge regarding the charge approved by former Acting Director of Public Prosecutions John Rabuku.
The postponement occurred because all magistrates are currently attending a conference in Suva this week. The case is now rescheduled for next Tuesday at the Suva Magistrate’s Court, where it will be overseen by Magistrate Yogesh Prasad. In the meantime, the prosecution’s request to consolidate the files for both Sayed-Khaiyum and former Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem, will be deferred.
Additionally, Sayed-Khaiyum has been excused from attending the next court session. Magistrate Joji Boseiwaqa approved this request during the hearing of the abuse of office case involving Sayed-Khaiyum and Saneem. Sayed-Khaiyum faces one charge of abuse of office, stemming from his alleged signing of a Deed of Variation and Addendum between the Government of Fiji and Saneem. This has led to Saneem being accused of receiving a corrupt benefit totaling $55,944.03 from his back pay associated with Sayed-Khaiyum.
The defense attorney, Devanesh Sharma, requested that Sayed-Khaiyum’s absence be permitted due to health concerns, a request that the court granted. Consequently, Saneem will be the sole individual appearing at the upcoming court session.