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Fiji Labour Party leader and former prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry has dropped his billion dollar lawsuit against Fiji Times owners News Limited.
Fiji Times on-line reported today Mr Chaudhry, through his lawyers, had amended his statement of claim and discontinued proceedings.
Under the amended claim, lodged after Fiji Times lawyers filed an application to strike out proceedings on April 21, the defendants are named as former publisher Evan Hannah, editor Netani Rika and reporter Robert Matau.
The question of costs against Mr Chaudhry has been reserved by High Court Master Janmai Udit for mention on February 3.
Mr Chaudhry was named by the Fiji Times as a tax evading minister who allegedly deposited over $1 million in Australia.
In March, attorney general Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum said Mr Chaudhry had been cleared of tax evasion allegations by a government-appointed inquiry, drawing opposition claims that the investigation was a sham.
The allegations were widely reported in Fiji, prompting military leader Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama to accuse media outlets of trying to destabilise the country and to order the deportation of one foreign-born newspaper publisher.
- NZPA
