The Suva Magistrate’s Court has postponed the sentencing of Anirudha Bansod, the former CEO of Post Fiji, to August 7. Bansod appeared before Magistrate Yogesh Prasad yesterday, with Devanesh Sharma representing him and Arieta Vaganalau serving as the prosecution lawyer.
Magistrate Prasad has requested further clarification on several issues related to the case and has directed both parties to focus on the conflict of interest as the central point. Sharma argued that a fair bid was submitted and that any perceived conflict of interest did not impact the decision. He added that Bansod had no involvement in selecting the tender awardee.
On the other hand, Vaganalau asserted that there was indeed a conflict of interest, stating that Bansod failed to disclose his acquaintance with the bidders. Magistrate Prasad mentioned that he would not rush into making a sentencing decision and has instructed both parties to prepare and submit their arguments within the next seven days.
It is alleged that Bansod made false declarations concerning confidentiality and conflict of interest related to the tender for the design, development, and implementation of the Post Fiji Mobile Application in 2022.