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A Fiji court has deferred the plea of Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption former manager finance Anil Maharaj for two weeks.
Maharaj is charged with one count of with willfully removing evidence contrary to section 189 of the Crimes Decree 2009.
It is alleged that on March 13, 2010, knowing that it may be required in evidence in the judicial proceedings against a former FICAC accounts clerk Marica Rokotavaga, Maharaj willfully removed the 2010 diary issued by FICAC to Rokotavaga with the intent to prevent it from being used in evidence.
His lawyer Gavin O’Driscoll requested that his client’s plea be deferred to the next court date.
He also submitted that the additional disclosures do not include all the documents he requested for the prosecution to disclose.
FICAC lawyer Perera informed the court they had served a notice of additional evidence to the defence.
O’Driscoll requested for an order from court to direct the prosecution to disclose the rest of the documents he had earlier requested for.
Perera told the court that out of the documents the defence requested, the ones that are not included in the additional disclosures which were served are documents that have not been recovered during the investigation and therefore the prosecution is unable to disclose them.
He further stated that certain documents requested by the defence are not relevant to this case which is about removing evidence.
Perera said he will reply to the defence counsel in writing before the next date on the items that are not being included in the additional disclosures.
Magistrate Sumudu Premachandra adjourned the matter to September 20 for the matter of additional disclosures to be resolved and for plea to be taken before the permanent magistrate.
By Edwina Chand
