Intervening parties in the high-profile 2013 Constitution reference case are poised to present their submissions ahead of hearings scheduled for August 18.
Today, before a panel of four Supreme Court judges, including Chief Justice Salesi Temo, several interveners confirmed they have filed their written arguments.
Out of the nine interveners, the Unity Party and the National Federation Party have requested to submit their submissions by Tuesday, August 12.
Naomi Raikaci, representing the Unity Party, sought to have the court revisit and rephrase question 5(e), which concerns the validity and applicability of the 1997 Constitution.
She argued that rephrasing the question would ensure it operates within the court’s jurisdiction and addresses the core of her party’s contention, that the 1997 Constitution was never legally abrogated, rendering the 2013 Constitution invalid.
However, Justice Temo denied the request, citing time constraints and emphasizing that “time is of the essence.”
In that same sitting, the Fiji Law Society, represented by Arthur Moses, requested that the State submit a court book, a comprehensive collection of all key legal documents, submissions, and references for the case.
State representative Ropate Green confirmed that the court book will be prepared, noting that authorities cited in the case would be compiled as a separate list since parties already have access to those references.
Chief Justice Temo expressed eagerness to proceed with the case, outlining the hearing schedule.
“Each intervener will be allotted 40 minutes to present their arguments, with the State granted one hour at the conclusion of the proceedings.
“The case is set to resume on August 18.”