The High Court in Suva is considering fixing a trial date for October or November in the civil case involving former finance minister Professor Biman Prasad and Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhary.
The matter was called before Justice Anjala Wati yesterday, where Prof Prasad claims Mr Chaudhary published false and defamatory statements about him on Facebook on several occasions since 2023.
According to court documents, Mr Chaudhary alleged in a post last year that Prof Prasad allocated $200,000 for the Girmit Conference to the Global Girmit Institute (GGI), which he described as discredited and deregistered at the time.
The post further claimed that GGI applied for re-registration in February 2023 and listed Prof Prasad’s wife, Rajni Kaushal Chand, Ganesh Chand and Hirdesh Sharma as trustees. Mr Chaudhary allegedly insinuated that Prof Prasad authorised the release of government funds and failed to follow proper procedures.
Prof Prasad, who is represented by Sherani & Co, claims the post remains publicly available and has damaged his reputation. He intends to call five witnesses, while Mr Chaudhary will call seven.
The matter has been adjourned to April 9 to set a trial date.
