Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa is expected to take the stand this morning as prosecutions first witness in the case of former attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and ex-supervisor of elections Mohammed Saneem.
The trial is presided over by Chief Justice Salesi Temo.
Prosecution led by Acting Nancy Tikoisuva and Lawyer Hezekiah Nofaga are calling three witnesses with one on standby.
It is alleged that Mr Sayed-Khaiyum, between June 30 and July 12, 2022, while serving as Acting Prime Minister, signed a Deed of Variation and Addendum between the Government and then Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem.
The ODPP alleges that the approval for the government to pay the taxes of Mr Saneem was done without proper approval of the Constitutional Offices Commission and the President of Fiji.
Further allegations state that between June 1 and July 31, 2022, Mr Saneem, while employed as Supervisor of Elections, “without lawful authority and reasonable excuse, asked for, and obtained a benefit for himself, that is, the approval and payment/waiver of tax of more than $55,000 that was charged on his back pay.”
The trial runs from 16 September to 3 October 2025.
The men are represented by RPatel Lawyers Devanesh Sharma and Gul Fatima.
