Chaudhry’s trial to go ahead on 31st of this month

Former Prime Minister and Fiji Labour Party Leader, Mahendra Chaudhry’s trial will go ahead on the 31st of this month.

This follows the dismissal of Chaudhry’s application for the charges against him to be dismissed.

Justice Paul Madigan has ruled a few minutes ago that the trial will go ahead at the end of the month.

Chaudhry is facing three counts of breach of the Exchange Control Act.

The first count against Chaudhry is in relation to failure to surrender foreign currency, where it is alleged that Mahendra Chaudhry between November 2000 and July 2010 retained the sum of AUS$1.5 million for his own benefit without the consent of the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji.

The second count is in relation to dealing in foreign currency otherwise than with an authorised dealer without permission.
 
The third count relates to failure to collect debts where it is alleged that Chaudhry having the right to receive a sum of AUS$1.5 million from the financial institutions in Australia and New Zealand, caused the delay of payment of the sum, in whole or in part, to himself by authorizing the continual investment of the sum together with interest acquired back into financial institutions without the permission of the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji.


Story by: Vijay Narayan and Praneeta Prakash