The first prosecution witness in the sedition trial of The Fiji Times Limited and others has revealed in the High Court that the IT Department is currently looking for the email he sent to The Fiji Times raising issues about the Nai Lalakai article in question in 2016.
While taking the stand, Permanent Secretary for iTaukei Affairs, Naipote Katonitabua told the lawyer for Fiji Times, Wylie Clarke, that he had sent an email to Fiji Times after seeing the article but the iTaukei Affairs Ministry cannot find a copy of his email at this stage.
Clarke then said to Katonitabua that evidence shows that no such email was received by Fiji Times.
Katonitabua says the IT Department is going through the records to find his email.
Clarke then questioned Katonitabua whether the search started yesterday. Katonitabua confirmed that the search for his email started yesterday after the issue was highlighted in court.
Katonitabua also says that the Nai Lalakai comes to their office every Wednesday morning and they have a media cell group that monitors the contents of the newspaper.
He says unfortunately, his predecessor did not take some of the issues in the Nai Lalakai seriously.
Katonitabua says there were a lot of sensitive racial issues and there was no action taken against the newspaper.
He says in May and June 2016, the iTaukei Affairs Ministry had to conduct consultations because of information in the newspaper about land being taken away.
Katonitabua also confirmed that he had informed his line Minister verbally about his complaint about the article and the Minister approved the complaint.
Clarke then asked Katonitabua what was IMG which was in his police statement. Katonitabua said that IMG is a group that is vocal about indigenous issues and they suspect that Josaia Waqabaca was part of the group.
He said that these were groups that were not giving factual information.
Clarke then read part of Katonitabua’s police statement in court where he wrote that articles on land and government leadership in the Nai Lalakai could cause instability.
Clarke asked him to list down the top 4 issues raised by the iTaukei community. Katonitabua said they were ethnicity, the GCC, religious groups and vacant chiefly titles.
Fiji Times Limited, Publisher Hank Arts and Contributor, Josaia Waqabaca have pleaded not guilty to sedition while Fiji Times Editor Fred Wesley and Nai Lalakai Editor Anare Ravula have pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting sedition.
It is alleged that Fiji Times printed the Nai Lalakai newspaper which contained an article which had content with a seditious intention to promote feelings of ill will and hostility between classes of the population.
The case continues before High Court Judge, Justice Thushara Rajasinghe.
