The Suva High Court is set to hear submissions on a no case to answer in the legal proceedings against former Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and former Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem. The prosecution concluded its arguments today, allowing the defense to submit its no case to answer submission. The defense has been allocated until 9 am tomorrow to file their submission, with the hearing scheduled to resume at 2:30 pm.
Both Sayed-Khaiyum and Saneem have entered not guilty pleas to the amended charges, which were filed by State Counsel Nancy Tikoisuva. The state has amended and specified the first two counts in the case. The allegations against Sayed-Khaiyum relate to an abuse of office charge. It is claimed that he acted as Prime Minister and Chair of the Constitutional Offices Commission in 2022, where he executed a second Deed of Variation and Addendum. This allegedly involved agreeing to pay or waive additional deductible taxes owed by Saneem as a result of his back pay process under the initial Deed of Variation dated June 30, 2022, without obtaining proper authorization from the President or the COC.
Saneem is charged with receiving a corrupt benefit, with claims that he requested and secured a benefit for himself, specifically in the form of tax relief amounting to $55,944.03 on his back pay from Sayed-Khaiyum.
This follows on from previous developments where the proceedings faced postponements due to a magistrates’ conference in Suva and health-related court appearances exemptions for Sayed-Khaiyum. These adjustments have pushed the timeline of the case, which continues under the careful observation of the judiciary and the involved parties.