Rugby CEO ‘can travel'

Fiji Times - Thursday, May 06, 2010

THE High Court in Suva yesterday ordered the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption to release Keni Dakuidreketi's passport so that he can travel overseas this month.

Justice Salesi Temo presided over the case because Justice Daniel Goundar is on leave.

Dakuidreketi's lawyer, Wylie Clark, applied for FICAC to release his client's passport so that he could travel to Israel and some other countries from May 10-30.

FICAC prosecutor Sanjeewa Dissanyake said he had no objection to the request but asked the court to order that Mr Dakuidreketi surrender his passport to court on or before June 4.

FICAC had asked the court for more time to gather documents in the fraud proceedings against Dakuidreketi and others.

Dakuidreketi, former Native Land Trust Board general manager Kalivati Bakani and NLTB's former manager legal Alanieta Vakatale are charged with conspiracy to defraud the Native Land Trust Board.

They have denied all counts -- one of conspiracy and another of fraudulent conversion. The third count of fraud implicates only Dakuidreketi and Bakani and a fourth count of abuse of office implicates Bakani and Vakatale only.

Dakuidreketi is CEO of the Fiji Rugby Union.