The Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Michael Delaney has told the Suva High Court that the Australian High Commissioner to Fiji is in contempt of court after she instructed a Police Officer from Sydney not to give evidence in Aiden Alec Hurtado’s drug trial.
Delaney told Justice Thushara Rajasinghe that Richard Briggs who is in Fiji and works with the Fiji Police Force in dealing with transnational crime was summoned by the court last month to give evidence in the trial.
Delaney says the Australian High Commissioner has instructed Briggs to keep away from the court as his under diplomatic immunity.
The Assistant DPP then said that Briggs has to come to court and explain why he is not adhering to the summons.
Delaney told the court that Briggs would have highlighted the value of the cocaine in his evidence.
Justice Rajasinghe then told Delaney to first find out from the Australian High Commission and the Foreign Affairs Ministry on why Briggs is in Fiji.
Justice Rajasinghe also told Delaney that the Australian High Commissioner would have thought they would have interfered with local court proceedings if they would have sent a person with diplomatic immunity to give evidence.
The judge has told Delaney to first establish the purpose of Briggs stay in Fiji.
Hurtado is alleged to have imported 20.5kg of cocaine into Fiji in 2014 without lawful authority.
