Jale Baba Case To Be Recalled

The case of former SDL National Director, Jale Baba and Kaie Nawasa, who were acquitted by Magistrate, Amani Rokotinaviti for two counts of attempted larceny and Conversion, will be heard again in the Magistrates Court for the continuation of the trial.

The Magistrates Court heard that Baba and Nawasa on the 17th March, 2000 in Suva fraudulently converted to their own use $700, which had been from the sale of Government Vehicle Registration Number GK965, which was the property of Fiji Pine Limited.

The court heard at the end of the prosecution case, the defence counsel Semesa Karavaki submitted that there was no case to answer and Rokotinaviti ruled in favour of Baba and Nawasa and acquitted both the charges in February, this year.

However, the State appealed the decision stating that the Magistrate was wrong in saying that there was no evidence to back the case and that the entire evidence that was supplied was unreliable.

As a result, High Court Judge, Isikeli Mataitoga ruled the acquittal of the two is set aside for trial, on the 20th October, 2008 in the Magistrate's Court.