AG reviews litigation against Military
Sunday October 08, 2006

The Attorney-General's office is currently going over the Cabinet submission seeking the Supreme Court's review on the role of the Fiji Military Forces.

Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase wrote a letter to President Ratu Josefa Iloilo three weeks ago asking the President's Office to back its call to refer to the Supreme Court the debate over the military's constitutional role.

AG Qoroniasi Bale said his office is in the process of "perfecting the submission".

He also said the submission "is to ask the Supreme Court to rule on the role of the military and not on the commander, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, only".

It is understood that the Supreme Court would be approached very soon by the Government that has recently had its policies attacked again by the military.

This disparity emerged again last week following the military commander's attack on certain Bills, which Government hopes will address the plight of indigenous Fijians.

Commodore Bainimarama said that the contentious Bills were taking the country back 100 years.

Under the Constitution, the President acts on the advice of Cabinet and makes the decision to refer the matter to the Supreme Court. Without the President's endorsement there is no Supreme Court case.

It is standard practice that the Supreme Court sits twice a year, in May and October.