Today, Labasa lawyer Amrit Sen and two others will face court regarding the death of John Rusiate, which occurred in June 2022. Shumaddha Chandra, Maqtadeer Kaiyum, and Sen were scheduled to appear for a pretrial conference before Justice Pita Bulamainaivalu, but the hearing did not take place as planned last week.
Sen and Chandra are each facing a single count of murder, seven counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault, and one count each of criminal intimidation and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Kaiyum faces eight counts of attempted murder and is accused of assisting the two others.
The individuals are believed to be connected to a deadly motor vehicle accident that happened on the Nasikasika cane access road at Korotari, Labasa, on June 5, 2022. It is alleged that Sen reversed his vehicle, which struck Rusiate, leading to fatal injuries.
The trio denied all charges last year in the High Court in Labasa.