Senior referral supervisor of the Immigration Department Josateki Toga who has been charged with allegedly accepting bribery has been further remanded in custody.

Toga appeared in the Nadi Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Mosese Naivalu yesterday who further remanded him in custody saying that his hands were tied and he had to abide by the High Court decision.

Toga appeared in the Suva High Court before Judge Justice Daniel Gounder yesterday for his bail application which was refused on the grounds that it would not be in the public interest to release Toga as he may interfere with investigations.

Justice Gounder had also said that Magistrate Naivalu had denied FICAC the right to produce evidence on the strength of their case and this was a serious irregularity.

He said if Magistrate Naivalu had taken the evidence into consideration, he would have known that the accused was a risk to investigations.

The case will now be called in the Suva High Court on 5th August, next week.  

Toga is charged with one count of bribery under the FICAC bribery promulgation and it is alleged that Toga accepted $500 as well as a new Nokia mobile phone from a Stephen Mallerich, for uplifting the travel history of Mohammad Fanam Ali from the Immigration Department.