25 Jan 2007

Fiji bans overseas travel by former Cane Growers Council CEO

11:23 am on 25 January 2007

Authorities in Fiji have placed an overseas travel ban on the sacked chief executive of the Sugar Cane Growers council, Jaganath Sami.

The Fiji Times reports that this has been confirmed by the new director of immigration, Viliame Naupoto, who was formerly in the Fiji navy.

Mr Naupoto has confirmed that the suspended chief justice, Daniel Fatiaki, and businesswoman Laisa Digitaki, who led a democracy protest last month, are also banned from travel overseas.

He said he could not disclose the names of all those banned from travel overseas because "the list was just too long."

Mr Sami was suspended late in December and sacked by President Iloilo through a decree as he sought to challenge the matter in court.

The new, reconstituted board of the Sugar Cane Growers Council also sacked Mr Sami and told the Lautoka High Court this week that it was withdrawing from the legal action.