42-year-old Benjamin Padarath has been charged with one count of attempted stowaway after he was found hiding inside an overseas vessel at Lautoka’s Queens Wharf yesterday morning.
Padarath was found wearing a Ports Authority uniform.
Police Director of Operations, Rusiate Tudravu said Padarath was found with $3,000 cash, chocolates, biscuits and water.
He is expected to appear in the Lautoka Magistrates Court later today.
The overseas vessel was on its way to New Caledonia and Australia.
Meanwhile, the Suva Magistrates Court issued a bench warrant against Padarath on Monday after he failed to appear in court.
Magistrate Thushara Rajasinghe issued the bench warrant after Padarath’s lawyer Mere Vasiti failed to satisfy the court on the absence of the accused.
Vasiti had said in court that Padarath was unable to attend court because his father had suffered a heart attack a month and a half ago.
Padarath is charged with one count of giving false information to a public servant.
It is alleged that Padarath gave information he knew to be false via text messages to the Director of Immigration.
He was allegedly intending to cause the Immigration Director to include the name of one Paul Freeman on the immigration watch list.
Story by: Ronal Deo & Vijay Narayan
