The Legal Practitioners Unit (LPU) has been given additional time to revert to the Independent Legal Services Commission (ILSC) on the issues highlighted on the last date of convicted former Opposition MP Niko Nawaikula’s professional misconduct case.
The continuation of hearing in Nawaikula’s application for dismissal of the charges, brought by the chief registrar, was called before ILSC commissioner Justice Gihan Kulatunga yesterday.
The issue in the matter is that Nawaikula registered a deed of trust on the instructions of some members of the mataqali Nabukebuke of Namosi in 2009.
In 2015, disgruntled members of the clan complained to the LPU that Nawaikula had done so without first getting approval of 60 per cent of the clan members eligible to give consent.
When the case was last called, two issues were identified by the commissioner, the first being whether there was a law requiring 60 per cent of mataqali members to consent to a deed of trust being written and registered, and secondly, whether the lawyer or TLTB should confirm who the eligible 60 per cent of the mataqali are.
On the last court date, the LPU was told to advise the commission on those issues but they had not when the matter was called yesterday.
The matter will be called again for the LPU to finalise on the issues on August 26.
