Officials to Verify 2nd DPP Statement

As the Director of the Public Prosecutions Office is expected to start investigations this morning to verify the origin of a press statement issued on its behalf on Friday regarding alleged interference in the Office of the DPP, yet another such statement has been sent to the media.

A media release which does not carry a letter head or signature has been issued relating to the charges against the soldier implicated in the Nimilote Verebasaga case. DPP officials, when contacted late yesterday, could not confirm if the release was authorized.

The statement claims that the Office of the DPP has had to intervene again to prefer charges in the outstanding case relating to the death of Nimilote Verebasaga. It states that the recommendation to charge the accused, Maika Vuniwawa, came from the Office of the DPP after evidence was evaluated.

It added that given the public anxiety about the delayed processing of the accused and deferred justice, the DPP filed and served a charge and summons on the accused for the offence of murder and in doing so, the DPP was acting in the public interest and in the interest of justice.

On Friday, a statement purported to be from the DPP's Office was sent out to all media outlets making allegations against investigators in the alleged assassination plot against the Interim PM and others.

In a statement issued soon after, DPP Josaia Naigulevu categorically denied authorizing the press release which said that the DPP lawyers were threatened by Assistant Police Commissioner Crime Nasir Ali.

We will have more on this later this morning.