Plea for Fiji Times sedition case to be taken tomorrow

The plea will be taken in the sedition case of Fiji Times Limited and others tomorrow.

Fiji Times Limited, Publisher Hank Arts, Editor Fred Wesley, Nai Lalakai Editor Anare Ravula and contributor Josaia Waqabaca through their lawyers have informed the court that they want the amended information to be further amended before they take their plea tomorrow.

It is alleged that Fiji Times, on the 27th of April last year 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.

Defence lawyer Devanesh Sharma submitted to the court that the word article which is referred to in the amended charges has a different meaning to the world letter as it is alleged that Waqabaca wrote a letter to the editor and not an article.

He further stated that the letter was published in the I-taukei language and not in the English language to which state lawyer Yogesh Prasad stated that he will remove the English translation from the amended information.

Sharma stated that the DPP should remove the word it was an agreed article.

Prasad informed the court they will think about whether they will call it an article or a letter.

Judge Justice Thushara Rajasinghe has asked the state to finalise the amended information by tomorrow.