The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions says it was preparing an application to have drug exhibits linked to the Joshua Rahman case destroyed when the drugs were discovered missing from the Suva High Court exhibit room.

The ODPP said the destruction of drug exhibits is subject to due legal process and that proceedings in the Rahman matter, including retrial and appeal processes, had to conclude before the necessary destruction application could proceed.

According to the ODPP, once those proceedings concluded, it was in the process of preparing the application when the missing drugs were discovered.

The clarification comes amid an ongoing investigation into the missing cocaine exhibits and the alleged tampering of exhibits that remained in the court exhibit room.

Police forensic investigators were also at the Suva High Court on Thursday as investigations continued. Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed the Crime Scene Investigation team attended the courthouse as part of the investigation.

Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu has also confirmed that Police are taking over security of key areas at Government Buildings.

The ODPP said that since establishing its Anti-Narcotics Division in 2024, it has prioritised applications for the destruction of drug exhibits once they are no longer required as evidence and the necessary legal requirements have been met.

It cited the Justin Ho case involving more than 4.1 tonnes of drugs, where an application was made and the drugs were subsequently destroyed through the legal process.

Investigations into the missing and potentially tampered drug exhibits remain ongoing.