A taxidriver has appealed to the High Court claiming a bank fraudulently deducted $18,000 from his account without his permission or provided proof of who received the money.
Saten Singh’s submissions were filed by his lawyer Jyoti Naidu before Justice Mohammed Mackie at the Civil Division of the High Court in Lautoka last week.
In his submissions, Mr Singh requested the court to overturn a magistrate’s court decision made on April 26, 2023, which dismissed his original claim seeking to recover the $18,000 from the Bank of South Pacific (BSP).
His initial writ of summons was filed on April 5, 2018.
The case involves a property loan Mr Singh had refinanced.
The submission stated that he applied for a loan refinancing of $40,000, which increased his new total loan balance to $53,672. The money was intended to be released in stages.
The first release of $17,500 was made on August 6, 2003. For this payment, the bank produced complete records, including a copy of the bank cheque, a letter of consent from Mr Singh, and the deduction details.
The current dispute focuses on the second payment of $18,000, which was released on September 29, 2003.
Mr Singh’s grounds for appeal were that the magistrate erred in fact and in law by not considering the bank’s failure to prove to whom the $18,000 was paid and to whom the cheque was released to.
The matter has been adjourned to January 30, 2026.
