Former Fiji Squash national representative Justin Ho has received a suspended sentence from the Magistrate’s Court in Nadi. According to a media update from FICAC, Ho pleaded guilty to an amended charge of submitting a false or misleading document on September 10, 2020.
The prosecution’s summary revealed that Ho provided two Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) for two private individuals to a senior customs officer to facilitate the release of a consignment, fully knowing the information was false. In his defense, Ho claimed he was only instructed to arrange for the collection of the consignment.
Resident Magistrate Talei Kean emphasized that ignorance of the law does not excuse dishonest actions. The court initially imposed an 18-month prison sentence but later reduced it to nine months, fully suspended for three years, due to mitigating factors and Ho’s guilty plea.
In deciding to suspend the sentence, the court took into account that Ho was a first-time offender with a previously clean record, his age at the time of the offense, and the fact that no loss was incurred by the government. These considerations outweighed the need for a custodial sentence as a deterrent.