25 Feb 2013

Appeal on abuse of office charges underway for former Fiji leader

7:19 pm on 25 February 2013

The lawyer for Fiji's former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase in his appeal hearing has told the Fiji Court of Appeal the High Curt judge in the trial did not do a proper analysis.

Qarase was sentenced to 12 months jail in August last year after he was found guilty of six counts of abuse of office and three counts of discharging his duty with respect to property in which he had a private interest.

Fiji Village reports Australian Queens Counsel, Remy Van De Wiel, began the appeal hearing today by going through volumes of documents in the case and the evidence presented in the High Court trial.

He told Justice William Callanchini that the trial judge did not do a proper analysis as there was no relationship between the law and the facts in the Fijian Holdings Limited case.

The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption's lawyer, Michael Blanchflower, is expected to make his submission on Tuesday.