About 100 former military officers and their families turned up the High Court yesterday to hear the decision on a strike out application by the Attorney General and the Ministry of Home Affairs in a case that involves soldiers who have served United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The court proceedings started in 2022 as Major Josefa Savua & 6 others v The Minister for Home Affairs & others.
Yesterday, they were informed the ruling has been deferred to the 29th of August 2025.
“It is not our practice to be critical of the Courts, but in this case we feel compelled to raise our concerns at the manner of the adjournment,” said their lawyer Isireli Fa.
“This Ruling was supposed to be delivered on the 19th of June 2025 at 4pm, but we were informed half an hour before the Ruling was supposed to be delivered, that it would be postponed.”
“The same thing has happened today and this is most unsatisfactory. If there is to be an adjournment, at the very least, 24hrs notice should be given.”
“Our members have travelled all the way from Lautoka and Vanua Levu for the Ruling, only to be informed at the 11th hour that there would be no Ruling.”
The former military personnel claim they were not paid their location allowances and other ancillary allowances while on peacekeeping duties in Lebanon between 1978 and 2002.
The plaintiffs claim the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) had paid the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and the Government for disbursement to personnel who’d been deployed to Lebanon for peacekeeping duties, but that they had not been paid this money.
The RFMF, Minister for Home Affairs and the Attorney-General are the named defendants in the proceedings.
