More details to come but Grubsheet understands that lawyers acting for Sitiveni Rabuka will seek a stay on all the forthcoming proceedings relating to the Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry until after the appeal is heard.
A sensational development that will have the broadest ramifications for the position of the President and Prime Minister, the Chief Justice and the Judicial Services Commission and the entire CoI process.
The appeal decision is being announced in Suva later this afternoon. We’ll have full analysis to come.
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Foreshadowed as a possibility by Grubsheet nine days ago on March 2.
UPDATE: Still no government statement by 9.00PM this evening but the Prime Minister confirms he is appealing in an interview with Fiji One News.
Click the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1644093806902355
Also confirmed by Barbara Malimali‘s lawyer, Tanya Waqanika.
And a lot of very unhappy campers, including the matanivanua for the anti CoI brigade – the shambolic Charlie Charters.
Again, Charlie would say that, wouldn’t he? It is a disaster for him and his kai vata. But it is all perfectly legal and proper and as Grubsheet has long pointed out, the Prime Minister should not have changed his mind about appealing Justice Tuiqereqere’s ruling in the first place.
Charlie is right about one thing – this is going to drag on for months and, among other things, delay Manoa Kamikamica and Biman Prasad from being able to have their cases heard and the possibility of their names being cleared to be able to contest the coming election.
But rest assured, Fiji. Justice is being served. And tonight, the “crocodiles” are both apoplectic and fearful.
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What’s in the appeal papers as reported by CFL-Fiji Village:
More detailed coverage tomorrow.
Commonsense prevails. It protects HPM, President and FICAC and most of the findings of the COI.
It took a while, but the PM finally made the right decision.
“PM finally made the right decision”? Don’t you know that he has been a flip flop person all his life. That is what defines him. You must be one who voted for him when the donkey was in plain sight but now regret it, just like the rest of Fiji and the people in this forum.
Am I far off the mark?
Yes, you are way off the mark. I didn’t vote for the PM in the last election. People the likes of you cannot stomach contrary views to your own emotionally driven opinions.
As a bemused observer I want to get to the bottom of this mess and the appeal ensures that. On paper, I back the legal opinion of a Kings Council and look forward to seeing how this case unfolds.
Vinaka, PM.
For once, the right thing to do …Well done!!!
Appeal is a good decision. Well Done, PM.
On another issue – Fiji should close the Israel embassy altogether. It serves no purpose except endangering Fijian lives in light of the Satanyahu’s forever wars including the current illegal Israel-US war on Iran. Our Ambassador and team there must be sleeping in bunkers or carport basement now. Kepa and Cheer Leaders for Satanyahu are unusually quiet now.
This decision for PM to appeal ends the political career of Lamb chops Bimaan and Mr Sweet Kamikamica.
It also ends show off Barbwires loudy mouth pursuit to crawl back to FICAC in order to close files again of her favorites who are now pursued by Rokoika lawfully and rightfully.
The election is just round the corner and the NFP is in big mess with its leader facing criminal charges and ironically this will be long remembered in Fiji’s political history.
To get Indo Fijian votes it will be also a mammoth task for Rabuka to become Prime Minister again given the position of NFP leadership now.
In all this I suspect blinky Bill is Brutus who is extremely smart but plays his card well without getting caught.
It will be like when Julius Caesar was stabbed multiple times by a few. He turned back and saw Brutus was also one of the stabbers. Rest you can second guess what I mean.
And so Barbara Malimali and Tanya have to wait a while longer to now spend more of their money in court fees etc