SIX members of the judiciary have been identified as persons of interest in the investigation into the disappearance of almost 53 kilograms of cocaine from the High Court in Suva.
Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu made the disclosure while providing an update on the investigation into cocaine exhibits linked to cases involving former Australian horse trainer John Nikolic and Fiji-Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman.
He said investigators were working to piece together the timeline of events after the exhibits were deposited at the High Court on March 25, 2021.
“We recorded statements from 37 people as we worked to establish who had direct access to the exhibits,” Mr Tudravu said.
The investigation began after seven bars of cocaine were found missing on September 16, 2026.
He said the tampering was discovered during an inspection involving a senior judiciary official, a senior DPP official, the investigating officer and a crime scene investigation officer before a court order for the destruction of the drugs.
“When we tested remaining parcels it returned negative for traces of illicit drugs.
“But our records show the drugs had previously tested positive for cocaine while in police custody. A confirmatory test conducted in February 2019 tested positive for cocaine, followed by a purity test on July 26, 2019, which also tested positive.”
He said their team was gathering evidence and documents and had begun a financial investigation with the assistance of the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit.
The digital forensic team was also examining available CCTV footage and biometric records.
Acting Senior Superintendent of Police and Director CID Peni Tuivaga said CCTV had been installed at the High Court ward, but most of it was not operational.
“The biometric system was also not operational,” Mr Tuivaga said.
