The attorney representing former fisheries minister Kalaveti Ravu has not yet received additional disclosures that were requested from the prosecution. Lavi Rokoika, Mr. Ravu’s lawyer, provided an update in court, noting that her request made on August 19 remains unfulfilled.
Rokoika also mentioned that she had urged the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) to reconsider the charges against her client. However, the prosecution has expressed its intent to proceed with the existing charge. She indicated that the agreed-upon facts would be prepared for filing within 21 days and proposed that a trial date be set, regardless of the status of the disclosures.
In response, FICAC prosecutor Lavenia Ravuikadavu recommended completing the pre-trial conference but did not oppose the establishment of a trial date. Mr. Ravu faces allegations of interfering with a legitimate investigation concerning the suspected illegal trade of a prohibited species of beche-de-mer.
Additionally, Tekata Toaisi, the regional manager for the Ministry of Fisheries and Forests in the North, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assisting the former minister during July and August of last year. Both individuals appeared before Magistrate Jeremaia Savou and are scheduled to return to the Suva Magistrate’s Court on September 19.