The lawyer for Fiji's Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry says an application to appeal his client's conviction is now underway.
Anand Singh says the leave for an appeal is in the process of being filed and a hearing is scheduled for this Monday.
Chaudhry was convicted in April of breaching the Foreign Exchange Act, in relation to US$1.4m he had invested offshore without Reserve Bank approval.
He was fined $1.1m, which Mr Singh has confirmed he has since paid.
Mr Singh says he is feeling optimistic about the chances of appealing.
"Mr Chaudhry has got an arguable case. The threshold would be easily met and I can't see any difficulties with that appeal."
Mahendra Chaudhry's lawyer, Anand Singh.
If Chaudhry's efforts to appeal fail, then he will not be eligible to run in the upcoming election.
