Attorney General and Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga

Attorney General and Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga reveals that under the previous government, the number of pending cases in court was alarmingly high, with 26,162 cases in total.

He made the comment in Parliament when making a comparison between the FijiFirst government and the coalition.

Turaga states that after the coalition government came in, they managed to reduce the pending cases in court to 16,941.

He adds that the previous government had a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Lautoka Court Complex in 2012, but nothing eventuated.

He adds that they are also focusing on the establishment of new court complexes in key locations across the country.

“These upgrades are essential to modernizing our infrastructure and improving the quality of service we provide to the public. I am pleased to announce plans for the establishment of High Court 12 and High Court 13 at the government buildings. These additions will further strengthen our judiciary and ensure that justice is accessible to all.”

Turaga says they are also focusing on upgrading the existing court complexes, with ongoing work at the Ba Court Complex, which will probably open by the end of the year, and the Lautoka Tagimoucia Court.

Meanwhile, opposition MP Mosese Bulitavu believes that this is a desperate move by the Attorney General to keep his job.

He says Turaga needs to stop comparing the two administrations and focus on his job.

Bulitavu says that with just 17 months in power, the coalition government is trying to provide a comparative analysis of what the previous government has done in the past 16 years.

He claims that the Attorney General is not performing in his portfolio and says Turaga needs to learn from the Prime Minister, who recently visited his predecessor, Voreqe Bainimarama, in prison last week.

The opposition MP says Rabuka’s act shows compassion, something the Attorney General can learn from.