Amendments will be made to the High Court Act to create a specialized division within the Fijian Judicial System.

The amendment will allow anti-corruption cases to be dealt with effectively and expeditiously.

Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says if passed, the Bill will establish a specialised Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court and the Magistrates Court which will be presided over by Judges and Magistrates who will deal specifically with cases relating to anti-corruption law.

“By having specialized courts it will give not just the prosecutors but those who actually get prosecuted a particular level of certainty and indeed we will further reinforce the rule of law because it will get rid of inconsistency.”

Sayed-Khaiyum adds this will ensure the designated Judges and Magistrates become specialised in anti-corruption cases and the application of the jurisprudence on anti-corruption cases will be applied consistently across the board in Fiji.

The specialisation of local Judges and Magistrates is also an important objective of the Bill given that once Judges and Magistrates are designated to either the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court or Magistrates Court, they will become specialised, trained and experts in the area of anti-corruption law.