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New Zealand businessman Ballu Khan is claiming damages and compensation for his loss of liberty and physical injuries in a Fiji civil court, but says he will concentrate on rehabilitating from injuries first.
The Fijian High Court has permanently stayed charges against Mr Khan that he was involved
with nine others in a conspiracy to assassinate Fiji's self-appointed Prime Minister Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama and several cabinet ministers.
They were arrested in November 2007, almost a year after Cdre Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a December 2006 bloodless coup.
Mr Khan was kept in custody for 60 days without appearing before a judge and he was not initially able to see a lawyer in private.
Defence lawyers asked for a stay order saying evidence important to the case had been destroyed and this had prejudiced their case.
He is now leaving Fiji following yesterday's High Court decision.
Mr Khan, who has been on bail under curfew, told Radio New Zealand today that he was not immediately focusing on the damage and compensation charges but concentrating on rehabilitating.
The case was in the hands of his lawyers, he said.
He said he anticipated feelings of huge relief and elation on arriving in New Zealand.
Recounting his ordeal, he said he was picked up and badly beaten by military officers, thrown into a police cell bleeding profusely before being taken to hospital.
"I probably came very close to either being paralysed or killed. The most dangerous injury I had was at the base of my skull, and the doctors thought I had a basal skull fracture.
"People who saw me being beaten up thought another shot probably would have broken my neck at that point."
Mr Khan said he was in severe pain and had two operations to remove blood clots.
He was unable to walk for a long time. His weight dropped from 86kg to 72kg.
Now he was slowly regaining health but still suffering after-effects.
Mr Khan said the police officers interviewing him were very professional and treated him well - in total contrast to being in hospital under 24-hour military guard, which was a frightening experience, where he was always being threatened, he said.
Mr Khan said a picture had developed that he was a security threat, but he said he was definitely not involved with politics.
"It appeared that I was the primary target of the assault, which I still am trying to figure out why."
He believed there was a lot of misinformation within the military about him and his relationship with some former soldiers he was trying to help rehabilitate after prison terms following the 2000 mutiny in Fiji.
The charges against Mr Khan have been permanently stayed but the other nine will have to stand trial. A pre-trial conference has been set down for November 27.
- NZPA
