Former Permanent Secretary for Fisheries Vuetasau Buatoka has been found guilty on one count of abuse of office by High court Judge Justice Gerrad Winter in the last hour.

However the second accused in the trial, the former Director Fisheries Macui Lagibalavu has been acquitted of one count of aiding and abetting Buatoka in allowing Saheb Holdings Limited a dispensation period to renew its fishing licenses.

Justice Winter found Buatoka not guilty on the first count but found him guilty on the second count of abuse of office.

Earlier this afternoon, the assessors came out with a split decision on the charges against Buatoka and Lagibalavu.

For Buatoka, on the first count of abuse of office, four of the assessors found in not guilty while one came out with a guilty verdict. On the second count of abuse of office, all the assessors found Buatoka guilty.

In relation of Lagibalavu, three of the assessors found him guilty while two found him not guilty of aiding Buatoka in the act of allowing Saheb Holdings to fish without a valid license.

Justice Winter has taken a break to consider an appropriate sentence for Buatoka. We'll have more for you from the Suva Court house later this afternoon.