Kositino Latianara in court today

The Labasa High Court has denied bail for Kositino Latianara, who allegedly murdered a 27-year-old taxi driver, Amitendra Kumar, in March in Savusavu this year.

Kumar’s body and taxi were found abandoned on Waisali Hill in Wailevu on March 18th.

Labasa High Court Judge Lee Burney highlighted the gravity of the charges and the public interest in the case as key factors in his decision.

During the bail ruling, the Labasa High Court Judge said the information provided by the investigating officer and Latianara’s confession during a police caution interview was appropriate for the accused to remain in custody pending further legal proceedings.

The state counsel informed the court that CCTV footage gathered from a Savusavu service station and the information provided by an eyewitness allegedly show Latianara seated in the front seats of Kumar’s taxi shortly before the alleged murder occurred.

State counsel also revealed that while DNA test results from the taxi has not been confirmed, a weapon believed to have been used in the murder was confirmed by his in-laws to be from their home in Naleba, Labasa.

The court was informed that an eyewitness also discovered Latianara a few kilometres from the crime scene, walking alone towards Saivou village with cuts on his hands, which they suspect were sustained during the incident.

In his defense, Latianara’s legal counsel highlighted that he is a first-time offender who has already spent six months in remand, and the CCTV footage and other evidence also needed to be reviewed as there were few others also present on the crime scene.

Latianara has been further remanded, and the matter has been adjourned to December 22 for the pre-trial conference.