Assessors find Dakuidreketi guilty on 5 counts

Former Native Land Trust Board director Keni Dakuidreketi has been found guilty by five assessors on five counts of abuse of office in the Suva High Court.

However, yesterday the assessors did not find him guilty on the charge of the abuse of office for the purpose of gain.

It is alleged that Dakuidreketi between 31st March 2004 and 21st September 2004, while being employed as a member of NLTB and Chairman of Vanua Development Corporation, in abuse of the authority of his office, did an arbitrary act for the purpose of gain, by facilitating a loan of $2 million to be made by Vanua Development Corporation to Pacific Connex, which was prejudicial to the NLTB and indigenous Fijians.

The second count relates to Dakuidreketi allegedly facilitating a loan of $900,000 to be made by Vanua Development Corporation to Pacific Connex between the 16th and the 29th of November 2004.

The third count said that Dakuidreketi between about 28th February 2005 to 28th April 2005 allegedly facilitated a government grant of $1 million disbursed to Vanua Development Corporation through the NLTB to be used as security for a loan to Pacific Connex Limited by Dominion Finance.

For the fourth count it is alleged that Dakuidreketi again between 27th April 2005 to 3rd July 2007 while being employed as a member of NLTB and Chairman of Vanua Development Corporation facilitated a government grant of $1 million disbursed to Vanua Development Corporation through the NLTB to be used as security for overdraft and loan facilities provided to Pacific Connex, by ANZ Bank.

It is also alleged that Dakuidreketi between 23rd September 2005 and 29th September 2005 facilitated a loan of $1 million to be made by the Vanua Development Corporation to Pacific Connex, which was prejudicial to the NLTB and the indigenous Fijians.

Vanua Development Corporation was set up as an investment arm of NLTB which included the involvement of Dakuidreketi while Pacific Connex was an IT company set up by Ballu Khan.

Dakuidreketi was a board member of Pacific Connex Limited.

Justice Bandara is expected to deliver his judgement next Tuesday.

He has also asked co-accused and former NLTB general manager Kalivati Bakani who pleaded guilty to abuse of office to be present in court on Tuesday.