SUVA - Australian conman Peter Foster has been granted bail by a court despite police fears he will try to flee Fiji.
A Suva magistrate yesterday agreed Foster should be granted conditional bail because of the squalid conditions at the Fiji capital's remand centre.
Foster appeared tired whenhe appeared at Suva Magistrates Court yesterday morning after spending a night in the city's prison on fraud charges.
He has pleaded not guilty to forgery, uttering forged documents and obtaining a work permit on forged documents.
Police have argued against the 44-year-old Australian being granted bail, saying there is a risk he will try to flee the country.
State prosecutor Andie Driu told the court information received from the Australian Federal Police demonstrated that Foster was a "huge" flight risk.
However, Magistrate John Semisi said recent High Court rulings over the conditions at Suva's remand centre at Korovou meant he had no choice but to grant Foster bail.
Foster, a former resident of the Gold Coast, embraced his mother, Louise, before being led back to a holding cell to await a hearing due later yesterday, which would set bail conditions.
Foster spent a night in the Suva jail, which has been under human rights investigation over its poor conditions.
