The trial of Raj and Pal began on 5 September. Department of Public Prosecutions lawyer Daniel Gounder told the three trial assessors that Raj and Pal had defrauded the government not once, but twice. Between 30 December 2001 and January 2002, the Prime Minister's Office authorized Raj to travel to India on business class tickets, Gounder said. He alleged that rather than using the money (F$8363) to purchase a business class ticket for himself, he colluded with Pal to purchase three economy class tickets for himself, his wife Praveena Kumari, and one other man, Pundit Jayant Maharaj. On a second occasion, he alleged, Raj was again sponsored to fly business class, but opted for economy class, and pocketed the difference.