FORMER supervisor of elections Mohammed Saneem intends to add the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as a party in the lawsuit against Assistant DPP Laisani Tabuakuro for making defamatory statements against him.
The civil action was called before Justice Savenaca Banuve in the High Court in Suva yesterday.
According to Mr Saneem’s statement of claim, on July 3 last year, he had posted a “statement from the attorney-general” on the Fiji Government Facebook page, which he captioned, ‘Abuse of office. None of his actions is unlawful. The State should be a model litigant. Those appointments and terminations he purported to do are all unlawful’.
Ms Tabuakuro then commented on the post saying: “So rich coming from you. Stop spreading lies, you unethical lawyer. The Supreme Court told you it will not rule on this issue, so there is no issue with your criminal charges.”
Mr Saneem said the comments greatly injured his credit, character, and reputation.
One of the orders sought by Mr Saneem is an injunction restraining Ms Tabuakuro from further harassing or defaming him on any social media platform.
Ms Tabuakuro objected to Mr Saneem’s application on the basis that this was an attempt to delay the trial.
Meanwhile, Ms Tabuakuro is one of three witnesses who will give evidence while Mr Saneem will call four.
The case has been adjourned to January 22, 2026.
