PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has described the disappearance and tampering of cocaine exhibits from the Suva High Court as “very, very damaging, very concerning and embarrassing”, saying authorities must establish exactly what happened.
His comments came after police confirmed yesterday that all remaining cocaine exhibits had been tampered with, with forensic tests returning negative results.
Police said the investigation was focused on those responsible for managing the exhibits at the High Court Registry.
Mr Rabuka said he had not yet received an official report on the incident but acknowledged the seriousness of the police confirmation.
“Well, we’ll leave it there and I do not want to say anything else,” Mr Rabuka said.
“And as he (A-G) said in the House today (yesterday), it’s very, very damaging, very concerning and embarrassing.
“We are very concerned, so we need to get to the bottom of it.”
Police have confirmed that seven of the original 39 cocaine bars were initially found missing, prompting a Criminal Investigations Department inquiry.
Acting Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga said remedial scrutiny measures had already been introduced while the police investigation remained active.
“I cannot give you the details because it’s a police investigation,” Mr Turaga said.
“But I can tell you what I said in Parliament today (yesterday). As of today (yesterday), there have been remedial scrutiny measures put in place.”
He said the incident was particularly concerning because court exhibits represented the integrity of the justice system.
“This is the safest place. It’s usually the last station of justice and what has happened.
“We hope that once police investigations are completed, then we’ll move forward from there.”
