The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption has been ordered to bring in the investigation officer responsible for putting together the files in former Deputy Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad's FICAC trial.
Magistrate Yogesh Prasad has told FICAC counsel Joseph Work to obtain the investigation officer's statement for a voir dire, which is a "trial within a trial" held during court proceedings to determine whether specific evidence is legally admissible.
This relates to a document FICAC tendered last week to be admitted as evidence, the authenticity of which is being disputed by the defence.
Defence counsel Richard Naidu says that for the past eight months or so, the defence had been led to believe by FICAC that the document in its possession was the original.
Naidu says they discovered yesterday that it was a colour copy, and when FICAC produced the original today, it differed from the copy produced earlier as it did not have the Fijian Elections Office stamp.
The court has directed Naidu to send his questions to FICAC by 2pm, while FICAC has been directed to provide him with the investigation officer's statement by 4pm.
Professor Prasad is charged with two offences relating to alleged non-disclosure in his 2015 statutory declaration while he was an office holder of the National Federation Party.
The trial will continue tomorrow.
