Sera Navuga 
The Lautoka High Court has rejected a defence application to close the courtroom to the public and media in the ongoing trial involving Fiji’s largest-ever drug bust.
This morning, defence lawyer Iqbal Khan, representing the first accused, Justin Ho, requested Justice Aruna Aluthge to hold the upcoming witness testimonies behind closed doors.
Khan argued that several witnesses who are close relatives of the accused have been threatened and could be at risk if required to testify publicly.
However, State Prosecutor John Rabuku opposed the motion, saying the defence failed to inform the prosecution in advance.
He stressed that the case is of high public interest and that transparency must be upheld.
Justice Aluthge sided with the prosecution and ruled that court proceedings will remain open to the public and media.
The high-profile drug trial continues.
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