Daniel Kingston Whippy, the managing director of Carpenters Fiji Limited, has submitted a request for a bail variation in order to receive medical treatment in the United States. Whippy, who faces charges of counseling the commission of an offense, appeared in court yesterday accompanied by his wife and using crutches.
He appeared before Magistrate Sufia Hamza at the Suva Magistrate’s Court alongside John Masi O’Connor, the former chief executive officer of the National Fire Authority (NFA), who is charged with abuse of office.
Both individuals face charges under Section 45 in conjunction with Section 139 of the Crimes Act of 2009. The allegations state that between January 1 and September 28, 2018, O’Connor, while serving as chairman of the NFA board, instructed his staff to alter findings from a Fire Investigation Report pertaining to an incident at the Morris Hedstrom warehouse on April 8, 2018, for personal gain. During the same timeframe, Whippy, as director of W R Carpenters (South Pacific) PTE Limited, is accused of counseling O’Connor in connection with the same offense.
During the court proceedings, Sera Fatafehi, representing the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC), objected to Whippy’s bail application, indicating that they had only received the request the previous Wednesday and needed additional time to verify the supporting affidavit from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Enosi Don Taloga.
Whippy’s attorney, Stephen Stanton, explained that the medical procedure is non-invasive and only available in the U.S. He added that if Whippy’s U.S. visa application were to be denied, they would consider seeking treatment in India instead.
The court has scheduled a follow-up hearing for October 28 to address FICAC’s response to the bail variation request. Meanwhile, O’Connor’s plea date has been rescheduled to January 13, 2025.