Just days before suppression was due to lapse, Vatuvei took to Instagram to tell his followers about the charges in a video.<\/p>\n
Vatuvei has had a long fight to keep his identity a secret, but on Sunday revealed himself as the "sportsman" charged, 48 hours ahead of the deadline for him to take his fight to the Court of Appeal.<\/p>\n
In an Instagram video, he said he "wanted to get something off his chest, something that's been holding me down for a while now".<\/p>\n
He said: "In 2019 I was charged with importation, possession and supply of methamphetamine. All of these charges are accusations and I will be fighting my innocence for these charges.<\/p>\n
"I know there'll be a lot of questions \u2026 but I've been advised from my legal team that's all I can talk about."<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Vatuvei asked for privacy for his family while he goes through this "battle".<\/p>\n
Auckland barrister Bradley Moyer confirmed he was acting as junior counsel for Vatuvei.<\/p>\n
He confirmed the man in the video was his client and said Vatuvei's comments were accurate. However, he declined to comment further because "the presumption of innocence applies".<\/p>\n
Vatuvei was once the pride of New Zealand rugby league, playing 226 games for the Warriors, 29 tests for the Kiwis and two more for Mate Ma'a Tonga.<\/p>\n
The winger could be jailed for life if convicted of the alleged offending.<\/p>\n
Vatuvei's bid for name suppression was rejected by Judge David McIlraith in 2020 and then by Justice Rebecca Edwards at the High Court in April.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"NRL](\"https:\/\/vms-network-images-prod.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com\/2021\/05\/356254\/pickerImage.jpg\")
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Justice Edwards gave him until 5pm on May 4 to appeal her decision.<\/p>\n
Vatuvei retired from professional rugby league due to injury in 2017, after a career spanning more than 13 years.<\/p>\n
He went on to participate in a number of charity drives, including a Fight for Life boxing match.<\/p>\n
He won Dancing With the Stars in 2019, then embarked on a new career in real estate.<\/p>\n
However, his employer noted at a court appearance in November that a loss of name suppression would cause it to "reconsider" the 35-year-old's employment.<\/p>\n
At the District Court, Vatuvei argued losing name suppression would cause him to miss out on media appearances and opportunities, despite not presenting any evidence to the court of future engagements.<\/p>\n
In Judge McIlraith's earlier decision, he said there was no evidence publication of Vatuvei's name would affect his fair trial rights.<\/p>\n
"The alleged offending in which Vatuvei is involved is serious. It involves the importation of signifiant amounts of methamphetamine into New Zealand."<\/p>\n
Judge McIlraith said while Vatuvei's public profile meant there may be more publicity surrounding the charges, that did not amount to extreme hardship.<\/p>\n
"There is nothing unusual about [the defendant's] situation."<\/p>\n
Continued name suppression has continuously been opposed by Stuff.<\/em><\/p>\n Vatuvei was charged alongside two others. One faces two counts of importing methamphetamine, and one count of possession for supply. Another man is also facing charges.<\/p>\n The accused are set to go to trial later this year.<\/p>\n ** This article <\/strong>was first published by Stuff.co.nz<\/strong><\/a> and was republished with permission.<\/strong><\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here!<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"