Praneeta Prakash 
Former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama (left), Former Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho in court today.
Former Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho’s bail pending appeal application has been withdrawn by his counsel, Devanesh Sharma.
Qiliho and former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama appeared before the Court of Appeal today.
Sharma sought leave to withdraw Qiliho’s application for bail pending appeal, citing that the substantive appeal needed to be heard expeditiously.
He said that Qiliho had served a large part of his sentence.
Qiliho was handed a two-year sentence in May last year.
In the substantive appeal matter, Sharma stated that he will limit the appeal to three grounds which relate to the law.
He also said that that one of the grounds on which the appeal against sentence was based on was the fact that the learned High Court Judge did not recuse himself after making remarks about Magistrate Puamau, where he had also commented on her sentence being invalid, prior to having heard the appeal against sentence.
Sharma said that he was working on the appeal to be placed in the upcoming sessions of the Court of Appeal and was hopeful that it would be placed in the July session.
The Appellants now await a call over date from the Court of Appeal to fix a Hearing date in the July session.
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