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The State has been told by the Suva High Court to file affidavits explaining the filing of late disclosures in the matter of the former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, former Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, and former Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma this morning.

Judge Justice Usaia Ratuvili heard from the state counsel that they had filed extensive additional trial documents last week and were seeking to have the trial date deferred by two weeks.

Defense Counsel for Sharma, Wylie Clarke, stated that the extensive documents filed by the State have put the defense in a difficult position.

Clarke told the court that the current trial dates could not be maintained due to the extensive documents that they have to go through, and called for the trial to be vacated to March next year.

He also pointed out that they had requested DPP of the same last year if there would be additional documents used for trial; however, they were assured that they would rely on the documents that had already been filed.

Counsel representing the former Prime Minister and Attorney General, Gul Fatima stated that due to the states’ insistence of scheduling the trial this year they had to move other civil trials that they had to move to the first half of next year.

Fatima added that she has trials set right through to August next year.

She stated that they she received three cartons of documents last week and she hasn’t been able to go through all of it yet.

Justice Ratuvili told the state that he needed evidence on the circumstances as to why such a substantive amount of documents were submitted late and so close to the trial date.

Defense counsels also added that they will be pressing for cost as well, and they were informed to make relevant submissions by the Judge.

Bail has been extended for the trio, and the matter will be called again next Monday.

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