The man charged with the murder of his Australian wife who was working with the United Nations in Fiji has pleaded not guilty in the Suva High Court today.
Henri Lusaka, 39, an Australian permanent resident, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, appeared before Justice Daniel Gounder charged with murdering aid worker Jennifer Downes.
If convicted, Mr Lusaka faces life in prison under Fiji's criminal code.
The 44-year old mother of three was found dead in her home in the Fiji capital of Suva on July 23 by a colleague in the United Nations.
Ms Downes, who worked in development with the UN's World Food Programme in Fiji since 2017, had three children under the age of five with Mr Lusaka.
As he was led away in handcuffs, Mr Lusaka maintained his innocence and told reporters he loved his wife.
"I didn't kill my wife," he told the ABC.
"I love my wife. She give me the best kids ... I didn't kill her."
Accused seeks psychiatric report
Mr Lusaka's public defender, lawyer Krisheel Chang, told the court he would be making an application for a psychiatric evaluation.
"I would like to make an application to the court for a psychiatric evaluation to be carried out on my client," Mr Chang said.
"There is a detailed history of psychiatric illness in the past."
Mr Lusaka was hospitalised for between three and four weeks after his wife's death, the court heard.
"When police went to the house, there was an apparent suicide attempt by the accused, and he was taken to the hospital for that purpose, because he had to seek medical attention," said state lawyer Elizabeth Rice.
She added a doctor had said the defendant suffered from mental illness but had been prescribed medication and "was fit for police interview".
The bail application portion of the hearing, which was to have been heard today, did not take place because there was no French interpreter available.
Mr Lusaka's lawyer said if spoken to slowly, his client could understand the proceedings, but otherwise they could be lost in translation.
His bail application will be heard when the case is called again on October 25.
He was denied bail last month on the basis that the state had a "very strong case" and holding him was "in the public interest", prosecutor Sitiveni Baleitaveuni said.
