19 Jan 2010

Fiji court adjourns Qarase case until late February

2:26 pm on 19 January 2010

The Fiji high court has adjourned the case brought against the ousted prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, until February the 23rd.

Mr Qarase was accused last February of abuse of office and committed to stand trial last week on five charges.

However according to the Fijivillage website, the anti-corruption agency wants more time to consolidate conspiracy charges against him with its case against a former Fijian Holdings CEO Sitiveni Weleilakeba.

The allegations date back to 1992 when Mr Qarase was a director of the Fiji Development Bank.

The defence lawyer, Qoriniasi Bale, has asked for further clarification from the court as to what the consolidation of charges will mean for both his client as well as Mr Weleilakeba.