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Fiji’s High Court has heard claims that the military floated the alleged plan to assassinate Prime Minister and military commander Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama in 2007 in a bid to draw out elements that may have been planning such an assignment.
The military’s chief staff officer intelligence Major Isireli Narawa, giving evidence on day three of the case in the High Court yesterday, said the military first heard rumors of an assassination plot around February-March 2007.
As a result, they released intelligence officer Lance Corporal Peniasi Kuli (pictured) into the community to gather information undercover.
Kuli, who took the witness stand on the first two-and-a-half days of the trial this week, told the court he found out about the assassination plot when he visited Naitasiri chief Ratu Inoke Takiveikata following Takiveikata’s advertisement in the local dailies calling for “national peace and reconciliation” in 2007.
Narawa told the court that in order to make the ploy substantive, he posed as a disgruntled senior army officer, willing to support the removal of Bainimarama.
Narawa said he met Takiveikata at a Nadi hotel room on 24 October 2007, where he gave the chief his support and assurance that “he could arrange for the entry of the assassination team into the army barracks on the execution day to carry out the plan”.
Narawa said he informed Bainimarama and the Police Commissioner the following day about the situation and the matter was referred to the Military Council.
Defence lawyer Mehmood Raza asked Narawa why he did not report the matter to the police.
“We didn’t inform the police because we didn’t know who was with us and who was against us. We were cautious of the Police Special Branch and Police CID unit.
“Basically to cover us if these went wrong.” Narawa said.
Taikiveikata and seven others are charged with conspiracy to assassinate Bainimarama, Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and then Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry.
The trial resumes Monday.
