Conman remanded to 'squalid' jail

SUVA - Australian conman Peter Foster was to spend the night in a Fiji prison described as unfit for humans after he was formally charged yesterday with fraud offences.

Foster pleaded not guilty in Suva Magistrates Court on three charges - forgery, uttering forged documents and obtaining a work permit on forged documents.

But Magistrate John Semisi reserved his decision on granting bail to Foster until today, and sent him to Suva Prison for the night.

Defence lawyer Mehboob Raza had asked the court that Foster be granted bail to stay in a Suva hotel at his own expense under a 24-hour curfew.

The lawyer also cited a Fiji High Court precedent granting bail because of squalid conditions in the remand centre at Suva Prison.

Raza also spoke of a Fiji Human Rights Commission report deploring conditions at the jail.

Police prosecutor Andie Driu opposed bail on the grounds that Foster was a flight risk.

- AAP