Filipe Naikaso 
Justin Ho
Lautoka High Court Judge, Justice Aruna Aluthge, ruled today that bail should be granted to Justin Ho, Louie Logaivau, and Jale Aukerea, three men accused in connection with a major $2 billion methamphetamine bust in Nadi earlier this year.
In his ruling, Justice Aluthge emphasized that granting bail was in the interest of justice, noting that concerns about witness interference and the risk of the accused failing to appear for trial could be mitigated through strict bail conditions.
He also highlighted delays in accessing evidence and the challenges in prosecuting the case, which had contributed to the decision to allow bail.
According to the judge, the investigations are now complete, and while the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has made significant efforts to expedite the trial process, pre-trial issues, particularly the pending alternate drug analysis have prevented the Court from fixing a trial date.
As part of their bail conditions, the three accused must each produce two sureties, and they are restricted to specific geographical areas.
Ho has been ordered not to leave Lautoka, while Logaivau and Aukerea are prohibited from traveling outside of Nadi.
A stop departure order has also been issued for all three men to prevent them from leaving the country.
While Aukerea and Logaivau were able to pay their $10,000 bail bonds, Ho has yet to secure the required funds and was subsequently returned to remand.
The trio has been ordered to refrain from reoffending, to avoid any form of witness interference either directly or indirectly and to refrain from engaging in any illegal activities while out on bail.
They have been in remand since February.
