THE High Court has raised questions over whether former Post Fiji chief executive officer Dr Anirudha Bansod can appeal his conviction after pleading guilty to charges of abuse of office and general dishonesty.
Acting Judge Waleen George raised the issue yesterday when Dr Bansod’s appeal was called, citing Section 247 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which stated that an accused person who pleaded guilty could not appeal against conviction, but may only appeal against sentence.
Justice George noted that the matter had proceeded to trial, with six prosecution witnesses already heard, before Dr Bansod entered a guilty plea to the amended charge in 2024.
Dr Bansod was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment after the lower court found that in 2022, he provided false confidentiality and conflict of interest declarations regarding the tender for the design, development, and implementation of the Post Fiji mobile application.
Justice George heard that Dr Bansod, who has completed his prison sentence and returned to India, was also seeking leave to appeal out of time.
The case will be recalled on September 9 to determine whether Dr Bansod intends to proceed with or withdraw the appeal.
