Fiji’s international reputation and its ability to attract foreign investment and workers has taken a huge hit with the Coalition’s treatment of the DPP, Christopher Pryde, who gives a “gloves off” interview to Radio New Zealand almost a week after the conclusion of the judicial Tribunal hearing into the allegations of misbehaviour against him that took place without his participation.
It is a disaster for confidence in the criminal justice system in Fiji, which is already reeling from a succession of scandals including full-blown assaults on the Constitution by the Acting Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, and a series of disastrous appointments to the senior offices of state, of which Barbara Malimali is merely the latest.
Grubsheet will examine what is facing the Tribunal head, Justice Anare Tuilevuka, and his fellow judges in more detail after the Fiji Law Society gives its advice to the Tribunal on what constitutes misbehaviour in the Pryde case. But it is already clear that Salesi Temo’s decision to suspend Christopher Pryde’s salary six months ago and deprive him of the ability to adequately defend himself has made it a completely one-sided affair that is a travesty of justice.
As we will cover in detail soon, lies have been told in evidence to the Tribunal, including by the Acting Chief Justice himself, that reduce these proceedings to no more than a kangaroo court – bereft of proper judicial procedure – that Christopher Pryde has had no choice but to watch from the sidelines while his reputation has been unfairly shredded to the extent of being portrayed by Salesi Temo as a thief.
He is clearly not taking it lying down if the following astonishing comments are merely what he is willing to tell the New Zealand media on the record at this stage. The DPP is on the warpath and God help the Coalition if he has been using the 20 months that he has been sitting on his hands to write a book about his experiences as an expatriate in Fiji.
Radio New Zealand says it has tried repeatedly without success to get any comment from the government. But really. What the hell can they say? The whole thing has been a stitch-up from the beginning to get rid of a white man and replace him with an iTaukei. And where it eventually ends is anyone’s guess right now. Except for the question marks in the minds of foreign investors and anyone who wants to do business in a country with a proper judiciary and genuine rule of law. Which Fiji is clearly not.
We will wait and see how ‘respected’ Justice Anare Tuilevuka is, or is he also part of the clique who will be too busy saving his own backside and his job instead of seeing justice done.
Lets not jump the gun. Yet.
We knew what the outcome would be, we know what the truth is and we know that Pryde will not have his job back as DPP. By the way, Biman and other’s files stolen in FICAC break in. CCTV mysteriously stopped working.