A call from Fiji’s Maximum Prison to a judiciary officer preceded an incident involving the theft of drugs and cash from the Lautoka registry, Parliament was told as Acting Attorney-General and Justice Minister Siromi Turaga warned that evidence security concerns extend beyond the latest cocaine substitution case.
He said the Lautoka incident was among cases that demonstrated the scale of the problem facing the justice system.
The revelation came during questions over what steps were being taken to protect evidence held by the courts following the discovery that cocaine held in the exhibit room of the High Court in Suva had been replaced with flour.
Mr Turaga said he had convened a meeting involving the Chief Registrar, Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Commissioner of Police and permanent secretary for Justice to establish what had happened.
A series of meetings followed, with security and exhibit-handling changes now being implemented.
He said the Chief Registrar has conducted an assessment of exhibit storage, registers, records, movement and release procedures, chain-of-custody controls, CCTV coverage and physical security.
Mr Turaga said police had also strengthened the way exhibits were stored, with drugs and other evidence being controlled at specific locations rather than remaining at individual police stations.
However, he stopped short of confirming whether every exhibit held by courts and police nationwide would be audited.
Opposition MP Faiyaz Koya questioned whether a complete check was now necessary, warning that evidence could have been compromised.
Mr Turaga said it was too early to determine the full scope of the review.
He also told Parliament that security upgrades at the High Court Criminal Registry began on Monday, following delays in procuring and approving IT security equipment.
He said the cocaine substitution case remained under police investigation and urged patience while authorities establish what happened.
