The Fiji Public Service Credit Union is expected to carry out legal proceedings against Fiji Television Limited seeking eviction of the media company from its current location.
Fiji Television has been renting in the three-storey Credit Union Towers located on 20 Gorrie Street in Suva and which belongs to the Fiji Public Service Credit Union.
Differences over rental have caused some issues from both ends and it is now likely to end up in the Court.
Fiji Public Service Credit Union wants to increase the rent for the premises Fiji Television is occupying currently to make it in line with what it says is the market rate.
But Fiji Television wants any rental price reviews to be determined by an independent body or person given different premises have different rates.
Fiji Public Service Credit Union is understood to have sent bailiffs to the Fiji Television Limited premises who locked the gates up. The matter was later resolved with the intervention from the Fiji Police Force who are said to have broken the locks.
Fiji Public Service Credit Union lawyers, Diven Prasad Lawyers, have confirmed plans of taking the matter up to Court and filing the papers by Friday.
Fiji Television is a subsidiary of Fijian Holdings Group. FHL Group chief executive, Nouzab Fareed said they have checked the procedures on court proceedings for such cases.
He said they are 100 per cent sure the Court cannot give eviction notice without arbitration and the two parties have not yet been through arbitration.
Arrears claims
Meanwhile, Fiji Public Service Credit Union lawyers also indicated Fiji Television has their rental account in arrears for past three months.
And they added Fiji Television does not want to enter into a lease agreement either.
Fiji TV’s tenancy agreement expired in 2008 but since then, it has been paying rent on a roll over basis.
To this, Mr Fareed said they have cleared their rent for up to June 30, 2016.
He said the so-called arrears being referred to was the increased rental amount which the Fiji Public Service Credit Union had added.
Mr Fareed said Fiji Television has indicated to the landlord they are leaving by the end of the year – December 31, 2016.
This article first appeared in the Fiji Sun on June 7, 2016.