FORMER senior police officer Isoa Natui was acquitted after the prosecution failed to prove his use of unclaimed money resulted in any personal gain.
Mr Natui was charged by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) with one count of abuse of office, alleging he committed an arbitrary act in 2020 by directing an officer to unlawfully release $8064.50 in cash held by the Fiji Police Force.
The court heard the money was seized during a drug raid and classified as unclaimed funds, which, under police standing orders, should have been deposited into the Government Revenue Account.
Instead, the cash was forwarded to Mr Natui, who used it to purchase operational equipment for the Southern Division Crime Unit in Nabua. Items purchased included two binoculars, two Dell laptops, a printer, two hard drives, an extension cord and a Wi-Fi device. All were later recorded in the Nabua Police Station inventory register.
Mr Natui told the court that once the procedural breach was identified, he fully restituted the money. He testified that the purchases were made during the COVID-19 pandemic, when lockdowns increased criminal activity while access to essential police equipment was limited.
While acknowledging the breach of standing orders, Mr Natui maintained he acted in good faith.
In his ruling on February 6, Magistrate Yogesh Prasad said the evidence showed no malicious intent.
“The prosecution has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused, through his actions, obtained any gain,” the magistrate’s ruling stated.
