Labour Official's home raided by Police

[posted 29 April 2005,1600]

Senior Labour Party official Shalendra Raju's home was raided by Police early Thursday morning as they searched for leaked Police documents on the 2000 coup.

Raju also claims his car was smashed into on Wednesday night and believes the two incidents are related. The raid at his home failed to uncover the leaked documents.

Police yesterday followed him into Parliament wanting to take him for questioning but Raju refused to comply.

The Speaker has since ordered that the Parliamentary gates be kept closed at all times and Police not be allowed to enter without his permission.

The documents relate to an interview given by Lt Col Viliame Seruvakula to Police in which he makes stunning revelations about the involvement of former Police Commissioner Isikia Savua, ex-Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and a few businessmen financiers implicated in the events of 2000.

The document was leaked to Fiji TV which was also searched by Police following an evening news telecast.

An angry Raju accused the police of using intimidatory tactics. "Why are they hounding me when they should be investigating the very serious disclosures made in the Seruvakula interview'" he asked.

"This is nothing but a witch hunt motivated by what appears to a move to suppress the Seruvakula allegations. Is this because some prominent people are involved?" Raju asked.