Closing submissions have been made in the case of Mosese Bulitavu and Jagath Karunaratne who are charged with sedition.
Bulitavu and Karunaratne are alleged to have spray painted words in different places between Nausori and Suva with the seditious intention of bringing into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the Government of Fiji.
The alleged incidents occurred between the 1st to the 27th of August 2011.
Karunaratne’s lawyer Aman Ravindra Singh told the court that the leader of the planning and execution of spray painting was Eparama Rokotakala and he is a mystery to this case.
Singh says at no point in time the prosecution witnesses have mentioned that Karunaratne was involved in this exercise.
Bulitavu’s lawyer Barbara Malimali told the court that her client has strong convictions on the principles of how the country should be run.
She added that Bulitavu has expressed his beliefs not only outside but also in parliament that Fiji needs to be governed under God but this has nothing to do with sedition.
Malimali says there has been zero evidence in court of Bulitavu doing any seditious acts adding that no evidence pointed to confirm he conspired for spray painting.
DPP’s lawyer Lisiate Fotofili then told the court that Bulitavu and Karunaratne were working in the background adding one can be in Labasa but still advise or support for graffiti.
Fotofili says if the two are saying that they were not involved in this case, then how come they were seen with people like Manasa Lasaro and Daniel Urai.
Fotofili says Bulitavu clearly wanted the constitution out and did not like the government.
He says this is not a crime but he was buying groceries for those who were spray painting and also having meetings with church and union leaders.
All the parties have been given 14 days to file written closing submissions and the matter has been adjourned to the 22nd of this month.
