A former Group Chief Executive Officer of an investment company has been convicted by the Suva Magistrates Court on two counts of indecent assault following incidents involving a junior employee in 2019. 

In a judgment delivered yesterday, Justice Waleen George found that the prosecution had proven both charges beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted the man accordingly. 

The judgement was delivered more than two years after the trial ended in January 2024. 

The court heard that the offences occurred in May and September 2019 while the complainant, whose identity has been suppressed, was employed within a company under the same group. 

The accused was the Group CEO at the time and had assisted the complainant in securing employment within one of the group’s companies. 

According to the judgment, the complainant alleged that during separate meetings, the accused hugged her without consent, sniffed her and made unwanted advances.

The court found that the complainant’s evidence was credible and was corroborated by an audio recording, complaints made to colleagues and disclosures to her parents. 

Justice George adds that while some inconsistencies existed in witness testimonies, they were not material and did not undermine the complainant’s account.

The court also rejected the evidence of the accused and defence witnesses where it conflicted with the prosecution’s case. 

In the judgment, the court stated that the complainant was a subordinate and that it was understandable why she found it difficult to immediately report the allegations against a person in a position of authority. 

The court further found that the accused’s conduct toward the complainant began as early as May 2019. 

The matter has been adjourned for sentencing on the 12th of next month.