Closing submissions in Driti trial today

Closing submissions by the prosecution and the defence in former Land Force Commander, Pita Driti’s trial will take place today before Justice Paul Madigan sums up the case for the three assessors.

Driti is charged with uttering seditious comments and inciting mutiny.

The prosecution called four witnesses and a police sergeant who read out Driti’s caution interview in court.

The prosecution’s case is that Driti made comments to junior officers between August to October 2010 that the Attorney General should be removed as he was influencing the Prime Minister too much. 

It is also alleged that Driti shared the Sudan Plan with Lt Colonel Manasa Tagicakibau. 

The plan was to cancel Prime Minister and Army Commander, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama’s passport when he goes to Sudan, not to allow him back in the country, go to the President and dissolve the government, appoint an interim administration made up of the former SDL party including the Great Council of Chiefs and the Methodist Church, and send the Bainimarama family to another country.

Prosecution Queens Counsel, Audrey Cambpell-Moffat also presented evidence to prove that Driti also met with Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara where plans were discussed in September and October 2010. 

Evidence has also been presented about the unaccounted weapons and ammunition that was being piled up at the Grand Pacific Hotel site in 2010. 

The weapons and ammunition were significantly more than the soldiers based at the site.

Driti took the stand himself and the defence had no other witnesses.

 

Pita Driti confirmed in court that he had made comments about the Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and asked intelligence cells to track Sayed-Khaiyum and report to him. 

He also said he said to junior officers that Sayed-Khaiyum was influencing the Prime Minister in government decisions.

However, Drit denied saying to Lieutenant Colonel Tagicakibau that the Attorney General had to be eliminated by Christmas 2010.

Driti said that the options were allegedly brought up by Brigadier General Mohammed Aziz as he was the initiator. 

Driti alleges that Ratu Tevita Mara was the messenger. 

He also claimed that he did not report to the Army Commander about the plans as he thought that it was a set up by Aziz.

Driti said he wanted to investigate the issue himself. 

   

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