The State will be disclosing new digital evidence in the case against those accused in the seizure of nearly five kilograms of methamphetamine at Nadi Airport last year.
Nigerian national Chukwuemeka Ikenna Phabian, and Viliame Nalagi appeared at the High Court in Lautoka yesterday before Justice Aruna Aluthge.
They were initially charged with five others — former Narcotics Bureau officers Apenisa Matadigo, Uraia Bolailai, former police officer Are Tania, former Fiji Airways driver Neumi Donumainasava and former head of Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) Osea Dakai — for the importation and possession of the drugs.
Mr Phabian, Mr Nalagi and Mr Tania are on bail while the other accused persons are still remanded in custody.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions John Rabuku told the court that the State is submitting a new application on re-accessing the mobile phones of the accused persons.
Mr Rabuku said there was an application before him to access Viliame Nalagi’s mobile phone which would be called for mention on June 11.
He said the State now proposes to work under the Cyber Crime Act and obtain proper search warrants to access the phones.
He told court police had purchased a new Cellebrite system which is able to extract more detailed information from mobile phones that are in the prosecution’s possession.
Nigerian national Chukwuemeka Ikenna Phabian, who represented himself in court, had filed an application to extract information from Mr Nalagi’s mobile phone.
Justice Aluthge informed him that Mr Nalagi has not been made aware of becoming a party to the application.
He told Mr Phabian to inform his lawyer about the application and join Mr Nalagi as a party.
Meanwhile, former FRCS intelligence head Osea Dakai, who was represented by Valenitabua & Associates, requested that his trial be conducted separately from the others.
This was objected to by Mr Rabuku who was directed to file his objections to the application.
The matter has been adjourned to June 29.
The court heard that Mr Donumainasava, Mr Matadigo and Mr Bola did not attend court because they thought the matter would be called today.
