Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
[File Photo]
The Suva High Court has set 19th June for the hearing of the stay application for former journalist and sports marketing specialist Charlie Charters.
The matter was called this morning before Justice Pita Bulamainaivalu, where Charters lawyer Seforan Fatiaki and Juleen Fatiaki told the court that they have filed for a permanent stay of proceedings.
Fatiaki told the court that they have filed a notice of motion on the grounds of integrity, bad faith, and foredoomed to fail.
He said that the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption was coercive in terms of the nature of Charters’ arrest, detention, and charges laid against him.
The lawyer also told the court that three sets of disclosures have been served but in none of them is the FICAC officer identified, and whether Charters intentionally procured the information that FICAC alleges he obtained.
In terms of bad faith, Fatiaki mentioned that the exercise of prosecutorial powers by FICAC was done in bad faith.
Charters’ lawyer also claimed that there is a conflict of bias against Charters for his journalistic writing against the Acting FICAC Commissioner Lavi Rokoika and her husband.
In response, the Acting FICAC Commissioner told the court that they will file and serve their affidavits by next Monday.
Justice Bulamainaivalu told Fatiaki to respond to FICAC by the 8th of June, and thereafter all submissions should be made by the 17th of next month.
Charters was charged with two counts of aiding and abetting an unknown person in the Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption and bailed.
