The civil case of former minister of finance Professor Biman Prasad against the Leader of the Fiji Labour Party, alleging defamatory statements published on Facebook, has been adjourned until further notice.
The matter was presided by Justice Anjala Wati and listed for mention at the High Court in Suva last week to fix a trial date. However, the proceedings were adjourned as the court was not in session.
Parties are now awaiting the registry to issue a notice of appearance.
Mr Prasad claims Mr Chaudhary had published false and defamatory statements against him on Facebook on several occasions since 2023.
In one post last year, Mr Chaudhary alleged Prof Prasad allocated $200,000 for the Girmit Conference to a discredited and defunct organisation — the Global Girmit Institute (GGI) — which was allegedly deregistered at the time.
The post further claimed that in February 2023, GGI applied for re-registration and that, at the time of the application, Prof Prasad’s wife Rajni Kaushal Chand, Ganesh Chand, and Hirdesh Sharma were listed as trustees of the organisation.
Mr Chaudhary allegedly insinuated that Prof Prasad authorised the release of government funds to GGI and claimed that Prof Prasad failed to follow proper procedures in approving the allocation and illegally facilitated GGI’s re-registration.
Prof Prasad, who is represented by Sherani & Co, stated that the post remains publicly available, has been viewed by numerous people, and has attracted public comments. As a result, Prof Prasad claims his integrity and reputation have been seriously damaged, exposing him to public scandal, odium, and contempt, and causing him loss and damage.
Court documents further state that Mr Chaudhary has refused or neglected to retract the post or issue an appropriate apology despite a formal request made by Prof Prasad in a letter dated August 5, 2024.
