HIGH Court judge Justice Aruna Aluthge has told four people who’ve admitted drug possession charges to think carefully about their guilty pleas.
David Heritage, Sakiusa Tuva, Ratu Osea Levula and Cathy Tuirabe pleaded guilty on Monday for their roles in connection with the importation and possession of 4.15 tonnes of methamphetamine between November 2023 and January 2024 at Legalega in Nadi.
Addressing the four, Justice Aluthge said there would be no going back once he convicted them.
“Think seriously because now you confirm that you pleaded guilty on your own free will,” Justice Aluthge said.
“You understand the consequences of guilty pleas. You pleaded guilty because you felt you were guilty, not because anybody influenced you, anybody promised you something, you pleaded guilty on your own free will.
“That’s what I heard from you when the charges were read to you last time.”
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions John Rabuku requested that the State be informed beforehand if one of the accused persons decided to change their plea because the State’s list of witnesses would need to be readjusted.
Co-counsel Joeli Naivalu told the court the State had circulated the summary of facts pertaining to the four to all the defence counsels and that it did not implicate their clients.
The court was told the ingredients of the offences were covered in the summary of facts subject to the court’s review, and if it was satisfied, it could be read out.
Mr Rabuku told the court the State had recorded two of the accused persons’ statements with two pending. However, the State has yet to decide if it will use the statements for evidence in the trial.
“We will call all the evidence that we need to call, and then we will decide at which point we will put in that particular accused person to give evidence relevant to that particular part of the evidence,” he said.
“But before the end of the prosecution’s case, a decision would be made along the lines of where we insert it because we want the evidence to flow in chronology, as opposed to nothing, then all at once, right at the end.”
Mr Rabuku proposed the summary of facts be dealt with on Monday before proceeding to trial.
Mr Naivalu told the court the State intended to call 34 witnesses, a significant reduction from the initial 60, and that the trial may take two or three weeks.
Justice Aluthge said he would read the summary of facts on Monday before entering the accused persons’ convictions.
The matter has been adjourned to June 9.
