22 Aug 2007

Date set for Fiji High Court hearing into dismissal of former chief justice

10:25 am on 22 August 2007

The court case brought against Fiji's president and the interim prime minister by the suspended chief justice, Daniel Fatiaki, will be heard in the Suva High Court on September the 3rd.

Fiji TV reports that this has been confirmed by the acting chief justice, Anthony Gates, who says a judge has been allocated to the case

Justice Gates says constitutional cases are distributed among High Court judges as evenly as possible.

Mr Fatiaki is challenging his suspension by the interim government and the subsequent appointments made by the Judicial Services Commission chaired by Justice Anthony Gates.

Aside from President Iloilo and the interim prime minister, the other defendants are the interim attorney general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, the acting chief justice Anthony Gates and High Court judges Nazhat Shameem, John Byrne, and Isikeli Mataitoga.

Three magistrates, the Public Service Commission chairman, Rishi Ram, and the solicitor general, Christopher Pryde, are also among the defendants.

Mr Fatiaki is challenging his suspension by President Iloilo, the composition of the Judicial Services Commission and all appointments made by the commission in the absence of Mr Fatiaki on the grounds that it is not legally constituted.