The High Court in Suva has granted a final adjournment for the pretrial conference of Inoke Qalo Loloma, who is accused of murder. The decision follows a request from defense attorney Shirley Tivao, who represented Loloma during a hearing before Justice Thushara Rajasinghe. Tivao noted that her colleague, Susan Serukai, was unavailable for the case.
Loloma faces a murder charge for allegedly assaulting a 43-year-old man during a drinking party in Vugalei on Christmas Eve last year. During the court session, Tivao mentioned that State Prosecutor Tevita Naimila expressed a desire to schedule another pretrial conference, but Serukai was unable to meet with them this week.
Justice Rajasinghe cautioned Tivao that the court cannot continue to grant adjournments, as the case had already been pending for over two weeks. Tivao indicated that she might be taking over the case moving forward, as Serukai was hospitalized again shortly before the hearing and could not attend.
Tivao stated that she had yet to discuss trial strategies with Serukai, emphasizing that her involvement was limited to appearing under instructions at this time. The case has now been rescheduled for a final pretrial conference on January 31, 2025.