News

Case to Answer for Former Business Operations Manager

Posted by Media Team 09 October 2026

The Suva Magistrates Court has ruled that a man has a case to answer for for falsifying tax documents.

The ruling for Mr Reginald Lal was delivered this morning by Resident Magistrate Joseph Daurewa.

Mr. Lal, who served as the Operations Manager for N. Mudaliar & Company, has been charged by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) with one count of Falsification of Document.

It is alleged that between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016, he dishonestly falsified Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCS) Tax Compliance Certificates (TCC) on four different dates.

During the hearing, FICAC counsel Mr. Joshua Prasad called six witnesses and submitted 23 exhibits.

Resident Magistrate Daurewa said a representative from FRCS confirmed that four TCCs bearing her signature were fraudulent, as she had signed no TCCs in 2016 and the name reflected on official certificates for that period should have been Visvanath Dass.

The Court also heard that a prosecution witness testimony confirmed that Mr Lal personally delivered the four TCCs in question to the client company.

The Court ruled that the prosecution had successfully established relevant and admissible evidence covering all four essential elements of the charged offence: the identity of the accused, dishonest falsification of documents, issuance under the Tax Administration Act 2009, and the intention to obtain a gain.

Resident Magistrate Daurewa formally dismissed Mr Lal's application.

The matter is adjourned to 22 October 2026 to confirm the defence’s position on its defence hearing.