The High Court in Suva has ordered that firearm and ammunition exhibits in the criminal proceedings against John Geoffery Nikolic be transferred to the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) for safe custody and preservation.
Justice Daniel Goundar issued an Order for Safe Custody of Exhibits under Criminal Case No. HAC 115 of 2018 [Ltk] today directing the High Court Registrar to arrange the handover of specified weapons and live rounds from their current custodian to a duly authorized RFMF officer.
Under the order, the RFMF will retain the exhibits in secure custody within the military armoury, ensuring their identity, integrity, and condition are maintained until further direction from the court.
Justice Goundar specified that the directive authorizes custody only and does not grant any transfer of ownership or disposal rights.
To maintain a strict chain of custody, the court ruled that the Registrar or an authorized officer must verify each item against the Court’s exhibit register prior to handover.
Both the handing-over officer and the receiving military officer are required to sign an inventory and receipt detailing: • Exhibit numbers, descriptions, and quantities.
• Condition and identifying marks or serial numbers where applicable.
• Exact date and time of transfer. Any discrepancies during the transfer must be formally recorded and reported to the court.
A signed copy of the inventory and receipt will be filed on the court record and provided to the RFMF.
All future access or movement of the items must be logged.
Justice Goundar further directed that the exhibits must not be used, altered, destroyed, disposed of, or released to any other person without a further court order, and must be produced to the High Court when requested.
The schedule of court exhibits ordered into military custody comprises:
• PE17: 1 Revolver pistol
• PE18: 1 packet of Aquila ammunition
• PE19: 6 rounds of live ammunition removed from the revolver
• PE22: Storage container 1
• PE23: 1 Short gun
• PE24: 1 Empty magazine
• PE25: 71 rounds of ammunition
• PE27: Storage container 2 Copies of the order have been provided to the current custodian and the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces for implementation.
Liberty to apply for further directions remains reserved for all parties involved, the Registrar, and the RFMF.
