The Fiji Court of Appeal has downgraded the charge against a man from manslaughter to assault causing actual bodily harm in relation to the death of a taxi driver in January 2018. Marvin Ketenilagi was sentenced to six years in prison in February 2020 by the High Court for attacking and punching Shiri Chand in Suva City, which led to Chand’s death.
During the ruling on September 27, Justice Alipate Qetaki stated that the trial judge had not adequately evaluated the evidence presented in the High Court that resulted in Ketenilagi’s manslaughter conviction. He expressed that the overall evidence raised doubts about the prosecution’s case and concluded that the conviction for manslaughter was not substantiated.
As a result, the earlier conviction of manslaughter has been overturned, and Ketenilagi has been found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm under the Crimes Act 2009.