Former Post Fiji Officers case stood down for an hour

A case involving two former Post Fiji Limited officers was stood down for an hour after the FICAC Lawyer was asked to produce original documents in court today.

Tevita Peni Mau and Mahendra Patel appeared in the Suva Magistrate Court charged with abuse of office and conspiracy to defraud.

A witness Adish Naidu who is an architect by profession took the stand and informed the court how he got the Post Fiji Project.

Naidu who runs a company by the name of Yellow Architect previously known as ASA Naidu Architect told the court that the Suva City Council approved their drawings through proper criteria and he was shown the drawings in court today.

However the defence counsel raised th issue that the drawings shown in court were drafts and not the originals.

When the case resumed the FICAC Lawyer informed the court that SCC has confirmed that they had approved the drawings and are in the process of making copies.

The case has been adjourned till tomorrow.

It is alleged that Mau had approved the payment of $75,000 for the purchase of an external Seiko clock for the Post Fiji building while Patel, who was Chairman of Post Fiji at the time, allegedly allowed the purchase of the clock from Prouds, a company owned by Patel.