8 Jan 2010

Fiji's anti-corruption agency case against Jalal adjourned

6:15 pm on 8 January 2010

A prominent international human rights lawyer appeared in court after the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption, or FICAC, charged her and her husband with seven counts, including operating a restaurant without a license.

Imrana Jalal, who is a member of the International Commission of Jurists, and her husband are accused of not having displayed a licence at restaurant which they owned.

The case was heard in the Magistrate's Court where the FICAC lawyer asked for the matter to be taken to the High Court.

The lawyer acting for the defendant challenged FICAC, saying the allegation is a Suva City Council issue and not a corruption matter.

The case has been adjourned until January the 28th.

A previous hearing in the case led to the magistrate being sacked for concurring that the FICAC charges were a municipal matter.