The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption has today made an application to consolidate the charges against former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase with those against former NLTB Executives Keni Dakuidreketi, Kalivati Bakani and Alanieta Vakatora.

Qarase is charged with three counts of abuse of office and one count of Officer charged. It is alleged that in May 2004 Qarase, while being the Prime Minister, Minister for Fijian Affairs and Chairman of the Native Lands Trust Board, did an arbitrary act by gazetting the Native Land Trust Funds Investment Regulations, thereby giving the board unfettered powers to invest any funds held in trust by them, thereby causing prejudice to the rights of the Fijian Affairs Board.

Bakani, Dakuidreketi and Vakatora are alleged to have conspired to defraud the NLTB of $3.7 million in trust funds and $1 million government grant by paying the funds to support a defunct information technology system called Mysap.

Bakani also faces a separate charge of abuse of office where it is alleged that he authorized the transfer of extinct mataqali funds amounting to $2 million to various investment institutions when the funds should have been paid to the Fijian Affairs Board to be used for the benefit of the indigenous Fijians.

Qarase and others have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

FICAC Lawyer Laisa Lagilevu asked Judge Justice Daniel Gounder for two months time to consolidate all the charges in these cases to allow a single trial.

Justice Gounder has adjourned the case to April 30th for mention before a trial date is set for the cases.