The High Court in Suva has granted a final adjournment date for the pretrial conference of Inoke Qalo Loloma, who is accused of murder. Loloma’s defense attorney, Shirley Tivao, appeared before Justice Thushara Rajasinghe last Friday to request another adjournment, as lead counsel Susan Serukai was unavailable to attend.
Loloma is facing a murder charge for allegedly striking a 43-year-old man during a drinking party on Christmas Eve last year in Vugalei. During the proceedings, Tivao informed the court that State Prosecutor Tevita Naimila expressed the desire to meet for another pretrial conference, but Serukai was unable to arrange a meeting this week.
Justice Rajasinghe emphasized that frequent adjournments are not acceptable, noting that the case has been set for a pretrial conference for over two weeks. Tivao mentioned that they were reorganizing their cases and she may take over handling the matter moving forward.
Tivao explained that Serukai was hospitalized again on Thursday evening, which prevented her from attending. She highlighted that she has not yet discussed trial strategies with Serukai and is limited in making decisions as she is currently acting on instructions.
The matter has been rescheduled for January 31, 2025, for the final pretrial conference.