Former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase has pleaded not guilty to four counts of abuse of office and one count of carrying out an arbitrary act before High Court Judge, Justice Nazhat Shameem.

In the first case, Justice Shameem was told that Qarase whilst being Prime Minister and Chairman of the Native Lands Trust Board allegedly gazetted the Native Lands Regulation 2004 whereby carrying out an arbitrary act which was outside his powers and caused prejudice to the NLTB.

In the second case, Qarase is charged with four counts of abuse of office while he was the director of Fijian Holdings Limited, member of the Fijian Affairs Board and Advisor to the Great Council of Chiefs.

It is alleged that Qarase, between January 1992 and February 1995, transferred shares from FHL to three Companies Q-Ten Investments, Cicia Plantation Co-op Society Limited and Mavana Holdings Limited without declaring his personal interests in the companies which are owned by the Qarase family and thus caused prejudice to the provincial and tikina council, the FAB and other eligible indigenous Fijian people.

The case is adjourned to May 15th for mention and to set a hearing date.

Meanwhile, the former Prime Minister was ordered to return his passport to the court this morning after it was released earlier to allow him to travel to Australia.