THE substantive case of former supervisor of elections Mohammed Saneem and former attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has been transferred to the High Court in Suva.
Magistrate Yogesh Prasad delivered his ruling on the DPP’s motion to have the pair’s case transferred to the High Court for trial under Sections 188 and 191 of the Criminal Procedures Act.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum is charged with one count of abuse of office, while Mr Saneem is charged with one of receiving a corrupt benefit.
Mr Saneem faces a charge of receiving a corrupt benefit by obtaining deductible relief amounting to $55,944.03 as backpay from Mr Sayed-Khaiyum, who is charged with abuse of office.
Mr Prasad said one of the reasons for transferring the matter was from a case management perspective.
“The decision of the High Court will assist litigants in the swift administration of justice rather than going back and forth between the regulatory applications to determine legal issues and this inevitably contributes both accused’s right to be tried within a reasonable time as enshrined in Section 15 subsection 3 of the Constitution,” he said in his ruling yesterday.
The matter will be called in 21 days at the High Court in Suva.
