In an affidavit, former Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem has asserted that his rights were violated during his time in custody.
Resident Magistrate Yogesh Prasad, who is overseeing the case at the Magistrates Court in Suva, stated that he will evaluate the claims to determine if any rights breaches occurred. He will also rule on the legitimacy of the charges brought against Saneem by the then Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, John Rabuku.
Both the State and Defense have been instructed to submit their relevant documents by October 28. Additionally, the court has mandated that Saneem and former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum be present during the proceedings.
Acting DPP Nancy Tikoisuva represented the State, while Saneem was defended by Suva lawyers Davenesh Sharma and Gul Fatima.
Charges have been filed against Sayed-Khaiyum for one count of abuse of office, while Saneem faces one count of receiving a corrupt benefit.
It is alleged that between June 30 and July 12, 2022, while serving as Acting Prime Minister, Sayed-Khaiyum authorized a Deed of Variation and Addendum between the Government and Saneem without the necessary approvals from the Constitutional Offices Commission and the President.
Furthermore, it is claimed that between June 1 and July 31, 2022, Saneem unlawfully requested and received a benefit exceeding $50,000 in deductible tax relief on his back pay from a senior Government official while he was employed as Supervisor of Elections.
The case has been adjourned until November 4 for further hearings.