Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has filed contempt of court proceedings against Veronica and Manoa Malani in the High Court.
Veronica and Manoa Malani were served today with the application for an order of committal in the High Court after they made comments against the judiciary and members of the judiciary on 10th September 2021 in a live video posted on Facebook.
The application by the Attorney General alleges that the Malani couple’s statements are contemptuous in that they have been deliberately made with the intention to scandalise the court and the judiciary in Fiji; and are a scurrilous attack on members of the judiciary thereby lowering or undermining or posing a real risk of lowering or undermining the reputation of the judiciary, the public confidence in the judiciary and administration of justice in Fiji.
The Attorney General says we must not condone any attempts to undermine the Fijian public's confidence in the administration of justice.
Sayed-Khaiyum says this also has the potential to damage the integrity of the enforcement of justice and if let alone, can fester and have serious ramifications in future.
The live video of the Malani couple is publicly accessible and as of today, has been viewed 70,000 times, shared 3,100 times, and has received 1,700 comments and 3,300 reactions.
The video was also shortened and shared by another publicly accessible Facebook page and has since been viewed 200,000 times, shared 2,200 times, and has received 1,700 comments and 6,600 reactions.
