Former Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum and former Supervisor of Elections Mohamed Saneem appeared for their first call in the Suva High Court yesterday.

Defense lawyer Devanesh Sharma appealed the matter and filed for a motion seeking a stay in the matter before the Magistrates Court.

Heard before High Court Judge Justice Thusara Rajasinghe, Sharma said they were appealing four decisions by Magistrate Yogesh Prasad in December last year.

The issues are abuse of fundamental rights, the authority of the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption in laying charges instead of the DPP, the consolidation of the charges and the validity of them.

Magistrate Prasad had ruled against the issues highlighted consolidated the duo’s charges, and gave the defense 28 days to appeal his decision in December last year.

Sayed-Khaiyum is charged with one count of abuse of office while Saneem is charged with one count of receiving a corrupt benefit.

It is alleged that Sayed-Khaiyum between June 30th and July 12th in 2022, while being the Acting Prime Minister signed a Deed of Variation and Addendum between the Government and the then Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem.

It is also alleged the approval for the government to pay the taxes of Saneem was done without the proper approval of the Constitutional Offices Commission and the President.

It is alleged that between the 1st of June 2022 and the 31st of July 2022, while being employed as the Supervisor of Elections, Saneem without lawful authority and reasonable excuse, asked for and obtained a benefit for himself that is the approval and payment of deductible tax relief of more than $50,000 on his back pay from a senior Government official.

The duo are back in court on February 17th.