The court hearing between Natural Waters of Fiji and the Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority regarding the alleged inadequate tax payments by Natural Waters, started today in the High Court before Justice Jocelyn Scutt.

Natural Waters lawyer, David Goddard in his opening statement said that the information regarding the affairs of Natural Waters was readily available for the controller - FIRCA and the government.

Goddard said that the controller having doubts on prices paid per case of Fiji Water and stopping exports is odd and cannot be right, adding that a more sensible approach should have been taken in the national interest.

In an interim order issued earlier, Justice Scutt allowed Natural Waters to resume shipment worth about 6million dollars which was embargoed at the Lautoka Wharf earlier this year, in return for a bond to be paid to the court of 5 million dollars.

FIRCA is also disputing that Natural Waters has not paid this bond.

The interim injunction that has been in place since February prevents FIRCA from assessing the price of exported Fiji Water products at more than US 4 to 5 dollars per case, in return for Natural Waters lodging security with the court in an amount which is the difference between US 4 to 5 dollars and US 10 dollars per case.

The hearing continues tomorrow morning.