FICAC has filed an affidavit in opposition to the strike out application filed earlier by defense in the case of former FNU Vice Chancellor Ganesh Chand.
The matter has been adjourned to 9th March to set a hearing date on the strike out application.
Chand is charged with abuse of office.
It is alleged that Chand between 14th November 2012 and 4th July 2013 whilst being employed as the Vice Chancellor of the Fiji National University, approved payments amounting to $213,905.05 for overseas medical treatment for the Chairman of FNU, Filipe Bole from the university’s funds.
Chand’s lawyer Devanesh Sharma had earlier asked FICAC to consider whether the court has powers to hear Chand’s case.
Sharma says that the directive that was given to Chand to process the payment of medical expenses of the then Education Minister, Filipe Bole came from a letter written by Bole on a ministerial letterhead and signed by him as the Minister of Education and Bole had directed FNU and Chand to take care of his medical cost overseas.
He says that under the 2013 constitution, no directive or decision made by the Minister between 5th December 2006 to 6th October 2014 can be challenged in any court.
