Nasir Ali takes stand in Agriculture case

A 6 member police team was appointed to carry out investigations in relation to the former Principal Accounts Officer in the Agriculture Ministry and the Director of Suncourt Hardware Dhansukh Lal Bhika.

This was revealed in the Suva High Court this morning by the former Assistant Commissioner of Police Nasir Ali, who informed the court that the police investigation had been a result of the special audit report and that he had a meeting with the members of the audit team before embarking on the investigation.

State lawyer Seini Puamau asked Ali whether he was the overall supervisor of the investigation team.

Ali said that he headed the investigation and reported to ACP Crime Moses Driver on a day-to-day progress.

Upon questioning by Puamau, Ali informed the court that investigations were carried out in respect of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forest, in particular Suliasi Sorovakatini and that documents were seized from the Agriculture Ministry and Ministry of Finance.

Ali told the court that he physically identified those documents in which Sorovakatini was implicated and had personally conducted the interview.

Puamau asked him about the procedures for the seizure of the documents on which he said that he directed search warrants to be obtained. Puamau then asked him whether investigations were conducted in relation to a hardware company namely Suncourt and in particular Dhansukh Lal Bhika.

Ali replied investigations were conducted in relation to payments that were made by government to Suncourt Hardware.

The case continues this afternoon.


Story by: Praneeta Deo