A pre-trial conference involving a Senior Referral Officer at the Immigration Department was called at the Lautoka High Court yesterday.

Josateki Toga was represented by Iqbal Khan on instructions from Rajendra Chaudhry.

FICAC Prosecutor Laisa Lagilevu informed the Court that she was awaiting a response from the defence to inform her on what grounds they were objecting to the Prosecution using video footage in the trial.

Khan advised the court that FICAC was supposed to furnish Chaudhry with minutes from the meetings that the two lawyers had, to agree on facts of the case before the pre-trial conference.

Lagilevu said that Chaudhry did not give her any reason as to why he was objecting to the use of the video footage and therefore was not able to formulate the minutes.

Khan then informed the Court that the issues from the defence with the use of the video footage in the trial were the admissibility of the audio and video recording and whether it was legally recorded.

The recording being referred to is the video footage recorded by FICAC at the Macdonald's Restaurant in Nadi, where the accused accepted a bribe of $500 in cash and a brand new Nokia mobile valued at $199 from a businessman, as a reward for uplifting the travel history extract of another individual from the Immigration Dept.

A pre-trial date is set for the 20th January next year.