The Legal Practitioners Unit has apologized to New Zealand’s senior barrister Janet Mason for an oversight in processing her application for practitioner’s certificate in Fiji.

While at the Commission of Inquiry this afternoon FBC NEWS, along with other media personnel were handed a press statement detailing the time-line of the events that transpired with Mason’s application.

The statement stated that initially an incomplete application for a practicing certificate accompanied by a cover letter was received by the unit on Friday the 3rd of January.

The statement claims that three crucial questions on personal character were unanswered, similarly a mandatory statutory declaration was not filled, signed and executed.

The amended application along with the statutory declaration was received by the unit on the same day at 4.59pm.

The unit states that their staff were aware that the statutory declaration was missing in the initial incomplete application and were advised to print the declaration once it was sent.

It is alleged that the secretary at the LPU relying on the subject of the email and the content on her assumption only printed the declaration and filed it assuming that the amended application was the same one sent earlier in the day.

The Chief register claims that he had received a letter of enquiry from Barbara Malimali on the 15th January.

The Unit says that relying on the documents placed in the file and more particularly the incomplete application which was the only application printed and put in the file, a letter was issued to Mason for a preliminary explanation.

The Chief register only realized that an amended application was emailed to their office following Mason’s interview with the media on Monday.

The statement then stated that the chief register had a meeting with the Unit staff to ascertain the circumstances and after that exchange it was noted that there was no falsification of documents by the Unit staff as the situation arose from an honest oversight.

It is claimed that the same was relayed to Mason of the situation through an email on Wednesday.

The Chief registrar also denied that his letter that was sent to Mason was leaked to the media.

While the Unit’s views differs from Masons views on the requirement of a valid practicing certificate for the purpose of appearing before the COI, they have apologized for their actions.

The Unit have received a preliminary response from Mason to the letter dated January 16th.