Praneeta Prakash 
[Photo: File]
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is working closely with the Fiji Police Force to prepare an extradition application for a person of interest in the missing drug exhibit case at the Suva High Court.
The ODPP confirms that efforts are underway to gather all necessary information and documentation to support the application.
It says the extradition application will be filed in due course once the required information and supporting documents have been gathered.
The development follows investigations into the disappearance of cocaine exhibits from the Suva High Court exhibit room.
The matter came to light on September 15, when a physical inspection revealed that seven bars of cocaine were missing from an original 39 bars held as evidence in the Joshua Aziz Rahman case.
A forensic testing later revealed that the remaining 32 bars had been replaced with flour.
The 39 bars of cocaine weighed 39.5 kilograms and were valued at approximately $31 million.
Police also confirmed that 12.9 kilograms of cocaine linked to the John Nikolic case had gone missing from the court’s exhibit room, with the matter initially reported in March.
Investigations later identified several persons of interest, including one believed to be overseas.
Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu had earlier confirmed that authorities were pursuing the necessary legal processes in relation to the person of interest.
Meanwhile, the ODPP has not provided a specific timeline for when the extradition application will be filed.
