THE Ministry of iTaukei Affairs and the iTaukei Lands and Fisheries Commission will meet on Monday to discuss the court order declaring as unlawful Ratu Vuniyani Navuniuci’s tenure as the Tui Nadi.
Permanent secretary for iTaukei Affairs Pita Tagicakirewa said the meeting would bring together the two parties and Ratu Vuniyani’s representatives.
Mr Tagicakirewa said they would not comment further on the issue.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach Ratu Vuniyani were unsuccessful yesterday.
It’s understood he travelled to Suva on Thursday to meet ministry and commission officials.
The Fiji Times has been informed commission chairman Apimeleki Tola was in Malolo when the court order was delivered.
Questions sent to Mr Tola remain unanswered.
In the milestone decision delivered by the High Court in Lautoka this week, Justice Mohammed Mackie granted an order that the commission’s declaration of Ratu Vuniyani as the holder of the title of Tui Nadi was irregular, void and of no effect.
“The iTaukei Lands Appeals Tribunal acted in bad faith and in a manner which was unfair to Ratu Asiveni Dawai by proceeding to hear and upholding the decision of the TLFC that Ratu Vuniyani Navuniuci is the holder of the title of Tui Nadi,” Justice Mackie said in the order.
He said this was despite a lawful order of the court made on May 12, 2005, that prevented the commission from undertaking an inquiry into the rightful holder of the title.
“In addition to this, the court’s order on 27 January 2007 clearly set out the composition of the commission and also a required term of reference.”
