The ousted attorney general has given evidence at the judicial Tribunal hearing into the allegations of misbehaviour against the suspended DPP that at no stage did he discuss the CID investigation into him during their conversation secretly photographed by government informants at a Japanese Embassy function in February 2023.
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum‘s evidence under oath at the Tribunal is in line with what he has already said privately about the encounter, which is one of the two charges of misbehaviour that have been laid against Christopher Pryde, who has always denied any wrongdoing.
Our thanks to Fijilive for this account of Khaiyum’s evidence at the Tribunal on Monday, which neither the national broadcaster, FBC, nor the main commercial radio network, CFL-Fiji Village, bothered to cover in an astonishing lapse of journalistic standards in the so-called new era of media freedom.
Let’s see if any media organisation in Fiji republishes the letter Grubsheet published in our last article from the Fiji Law Society telling the Tribunal head, Justice Anare Tuilevuka, that proceeding with the hearing without Christopher Pryde’s presence was unfair and a violation of his constitutional rights.
To its shame, the local media has a habit of suppressing even original documents containing hard evidence of vital public interest, most notably the letter in March from the Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, telling Lynda Tabuya that she was being stripped of the position of deputy leader of the People’s Alliance because of her “sex and illicit drug scandal” in Room 233.
First, the Fijilive account of Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum’s evidence, which directly contradicted that earlier in the day of his successor as AG and now Minister for Justice, Siromi Turaga (see previous article).
The photos in question. A Grubsheet exclusive on November 8 that has yet to be picked up by the mainstream media.
Now a repeat of Grubsheet’s exclusive disclosure in our last article of the letter from the President of the Fiji Law Society, Wylie Clarke, to the Tribunal Chair, Justice Anare Tuilevuka. Will it be picked up by the local media? On past performance, don’t bet on it.
And finally, the letter from the Prime Minister and Ratu Isoa Gavidi informing Lynda Tabuya that she has been stripped of the deputy leadership of the PAP that has never been published by the Fijian media. Its claim to “media freedom” in the new order is a sick joke on the Fijian people.
NOTE:
Congratulations to Fiji Live’s Ilaitia Ravuwai for his solid reporting of Monday’s events in the Tribunal. An excellent journalistic effort.
UPDATE 0200 TUESDAY WITH LOCAL NEWSPAPER COVERAGE
Incredibly, Fiji’s traditional newspaper of record, the Fiji Times, joins FBC and CFL-Fiji Village in ignoring the Pryde Tribunal hearing altogether.
Whether the Fiji Times is still smarting over the Nai Lalakai sedition prosecution or it just isn’t interested in the fate of white people, it is an extraordinary journalistic lapse. As we have observed before, the new era of media freedom in Fiji is the freedom for media outlets to deprive the Fijian people of their right to know.
To its credit, the Fiji Sun joins Fijilive in giving the story proper though much less comprehensive coverage. So full marks to Fijilive for punching way above its weight.
As someone earlier pointed out, Fiji’s national media is a national disgrace. It seems the media is staffed by idiots who can’t spot a story even when it’s starring them in the face. If the Fiji government has been a let down, so has the Fiji media for failing the people, time and again.
ASK’s testimony will carry more credibility given he was the only other party to the conversation between Pryde and himself. No other witness can claim they heard what was discussed and given the conversation was between Pryde and Khaiyum, we must assume Khaiyum’s is the true version.
Every other person who has been called witness has only been able to state what they perceived/assumed rather then what they actually heard so this all becomes heresay and isn’t really hard evidence.
The other problem is that they called ASK who happens to be the author of the current Fijian constitution so to try and nail him on the technicality that Pryde was being paid a large superannuation which they claim he approved won’t hold as he knows the intricacies of the constitution and it’s in fact recoiled in their faces, given the JSC handles these things, makes a recommendation to the President and simply advises the AGs office of the decision for noting.
In doing so, these racist baboons have exposed the fact they haven’t a clue how these processes work and they’re running the government?
Adding further salt to the injuries is that Khaiyum unleashed the bombs that Turaga himself has been seen associating with people such as Malimali and Rabuku, all of whom were and are currently under investigation. So why single out Pryde and Khaiyum?
Good to see this government is consistent. Consistent in that it continually shoots itself in the foot through every ridiculous decision it makes and the evidence that they are clueless running the country.
So both men say they didn’t discuss the investigation but the evidence of only one, ASK, will be entered in the record because the DPP has withdrawn from the proceedings.And we all know how much credence these people give the ousted AG.
On the issue of the superannuation, it was a continuation of the arrangement that applied when Christopher Pryde was solicitor general. He went straight from the SG’s job to the ODPP and the same payments continued.
Whether this will come out in testimony from the Permanent Secretary for Finance or someone else remains to be seen. But what makes this entire hearing an outrage is that the accused is not present to defend himself because his ability to pay for his counsel was unlawfully withdrawn by those who have made the allegations against him. A naked stitch-up to ensure that he loses.
The Fiji Law Society reminded the Tribunal that the DPP’s constitutional rights to procedural fairness were being violated and it believed the hearing shouldn’t go ahead. That is the position in law but the Tribunal went ahead anyway. That’s why this is a kangaroo court and a shocking indictment of the state of the criminal justice system in Fiji.
By your analysis, one can conclude that regardless of whether both Pryde and Khaiyum take the stand as witnesses, corroborate each other’s statements, Pryde will still be found guilty simply as a result of what people around them assumed they were discussing and the fact this government hasn’t a clue how expatriate contractual arrangements work.
The FLS should have taken a much firmer stand and made it clear they would not support the tribunal as well as issuing a public statement to condem this shocking state of affairs.
As you have quite rightly said, it is a stitch up and a kangaroo court. Pryde may need to cut his losses and walk away from this extremely corrupt and sham judicial system that Fiji has descended into.
The respected Justice Tuilevuka’s credibility is now on the line. Can’t wait to see his panel’s findings if they will uphold justice and integrity. And their report will end up at Government House. Imagine!
And so much for Fiji’s improvement in Media freedom index by Reporters Without Borders that ranked Fiji at 44th out of 180 countries in 2024 compared to 89th in 2023, as trumpeted below by Fred’s imbecile team at the Butt St newsroom:
https://www.fijitimes.com.fj/media-free-from-fear-fiji-improves-on-media-freedom-ranking/
Yes, Justice Tuilevuka is respected or shall I say, was respected until he ignored the letter from the Fiji Law Society and proceeded with his kangaroo court.
We shall see what happens. But given what we have already seen, it is reasonable for any fair minded person to surmise that in the absence of the accused, who was denied proper representation by his accusers, this is a show trial with an inevitable conclusion.
The iTaukei cabal that has taken control of the country with its coolie quislings like Biman Prasad and the rest is determined to impose indigenous supremacy at all costs, irrespective of the collapse of standards in the judiciary and offices of state like the ODPP.
That is obvious from the double standards that have applied to John Rabuku being seen with Barbara Malimali when he is (supposed to be) actively investigating her and the blind eye that has been turned to Nancy Tikoisuva and her stallion in their drunken behaviour at the ODPP’s conference. The whole criminal justice system is in a state of decay and in the throes of collapse.
And guess what happens when the iTaukei elite are totally in charge and unrestrained? Ordinary iTaukei who don’t have their connections will inevitably suffer from their lack of proper standards, along with the rest of this blighted nation and its supine “look at us, we’re free!” media. Much of Africa is the harbinger of things to come.
The Pryde Tribunal – now no better than a Stalinist show trial – marks a new low. But there is worse to come. It’s what happens in any country where the criminal justice system is degraded. Anything goes and usually does.
Unfair treatment has been given to Christoper Pryde by not paying his salary (only means to pay for his lawyer), which denies his right to legal representation. Is this deliberate?
It is apparent that the Coalition Government ministers and failed PAP candidate Parmesh Chand are eager to give witness against Pryde. What is the motive?
Being seen together and talking to each other at a party is not a crime, and they can’t insinuate what they were talking about as none of these witnesses heard their conversation.
From previous reporting, we understand that Siromi had asked Pryde to write a letter admitting he had a conversation with the former AG, and Siromi cleverly used the letter as his ground for suspension. The motive was very clear.
It seems the Coalition ministers, Parmesh Chand, and others deliberately planned this to get rid of Pryde, “whites,” and “vulagis” so the preferred iTaukeis can be appointed for full control.
The tribunal needs to note that there are other incidences where ODPP staff were photographed with people, including FICAC Commissioner who are under investigation, and nothing was done.
This is a simple case of intimidation by the Coalition government to get rid of Pryde. I won’t be surprised if the Tribunal ignores Pryde’s side of the story and passes a judgment.
If it’s OK for the current AG to be photographed with Barbara Malimali and John Rabuku at a cocktail party, why is it an issue that the previous AG is photographed chatting with the Director of Public Prosecutions, Christopher Pryde?
There can’t be different strokes for different folks. The itaukei have a beautiful saying about the same, “Caqeta va tautauvata na koli,” that is a reminder to pig hunters to treat their dogs equally.
The law should be applied equally.
I wonder what Biman “something-is-better-than-nothing” Prasad will say if and when he is called as witness by the inquiry. He was one of those Khaiyum said he had spoken to at the Japanese Ambassador’s cocktail.
I was just going to say same , Biman was present there and he defibrillator is behind all these false accusations
The passionate hate/ aggression towards the former AG and government by many individuals are noted. But when that dislike and hate become so intense that it clouds common sense, judgement, objectivity, decency , fairness and justice – this is unwarranted and gravely dangerous for everyone.
Yes there were a lot of let downs , a lot of people felt they were victimized and hated on for unjustified reasons in all different political eras and regimes but the country can no longer continue down the tit for tat road.
Until we as a nation are able to improve our conversation and arguments objectively and professionally – based on facts, policies and data we will continue to go down the rabbit hole of vindictiveness. Whether consciously or unconsciously .
For a nation that loves God and claims to be Christian .. where is the leaving vengeance with the Lord ?
If we have to move ahead we have to stop living life through constantly fixating in the rear vision mirror. History is done and we have a lot of lessons to learn from it and learn quickly … but we have to choose to be the change and draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough .
Compartmentalize and place boundaries on the personal affiliations – albeit it personal, Vanua, church , friendships or biological links . They have a time and place and Individuals must know when and how to use these tools to make them strengths for collaboration and unity and not for dissent and personal agendas.
The leaders of our nation tomorrow will rise from the ashes of everything up to this present government.
They won’t be the arm chair experts throwing cheap shots, silly slur and vindictive words without fact or context.
They won’t be the social climbers or attention seekers who will do or say anything to get recognition or a freebie into rooms and spaces that they want to be noticed and validated in, without adding any value.
They will be hardworking humble individuals whose heart is for the people and who do not care who gets the recognition or applause as long as the work gets done properly and fairly.
They will be team players , lovers of truth, well rounded and grounded individuals who will listen and be able to make the hard decisions necessary to recover lost ground and years and restore unity and service to ALL Fijians.
It’s time to turn the page – it’s time for a new era of leadership.
Let’s see who will step up to the plate to take on the new mantle.
The time has come.
This government is just killing time before they get voted out. It’s unfortunate that we can no longer count on them to be fair, consistent, honest and accountable. The lesson is – let us never ever believe their words again as this coalition definitely oversold themselves and under delivered with flying colors to the people.
It is done .
Let’s look forward , let’s think deeply about what we want and let’s all see what role we can play in our own little way to make us all proud to be Fijians again & United under our noble banner blue.
Bring on the next elections !
In the real world your comments are excellent and if fulfilled could lead to a country close to utopia, but this is FIJI. It will never happen as there are too many politicians that have seen the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and are all careering head over heels to grab some of it and to hell with the poor people. As long as we’re all right Jack, that’s all that matters.
If the Fiji Sun still had Jyoti Pratibha, then would she have given a deep coverage on this issue since she was a FijiFirst supporter and also close to Frank Banana-o-rama. As for Jyoti, I’ve heard that she was hated even from her high school days by her schoolmates.
Most ambitious high achievers are.
Bula GD
Just something I have read time and again in your write-up hence would like to contribute.
The role of DPP is not to investigate. That’s the role of Police. DPP prosecutes the offences in High Court, and attend appellate courts.
Hence, when there’s an active investigations, it is not DPP doing investigations, rather the Police. DPPs job is never to assist with investigations, and they must prosecute dispassionately (refer DPPs Prosecution Code 2004). They only advise Police whether file is ready for prosecution or more evidence is needed.
Vinaka
That’s right. You explain the process correctly. The argument is presumably that the DPP shouldn’t have been talking to ASK because he would eventually have to make a decision on the basis of the police docket whether to prosecute him. But according to Christopher Pryde, a police file had not yet reached his desk. So he saw no reason to ghost him and risk causing offence to his Japanese hosts.
When the time came, he would have made his decision on the same basis as every decision – the likelihood of a conviction on the evidence before him and whether a prosecution was in the public interest. Incidentally, the same basis on which he decided not to prosecute Biman Prasad over the Taniguchi affair.
Siromi Turaga and Salesi Temo appear to think that Pryde and Khaiyum were in league to allow the ousted AG to escape prosecution. But if that were the case and there was a secret conspiracy, they would hardly have been conversing in a room full of people that included Ratu Epeli Nailatikau in the same frame. At least that’s what normal people would think.
“Misbehaviour?” Rubbish.
If the grinning baboon in an outmoded and ill-fitting safari shirt and facial hair thinks he might be looking hip, whatever look he is trying to pull off, is not working. Big fail. Looks dumber than he actually is.
Indeed Mr Fijian Observer..it’s time to turn the page…it’s time for a new leadership!
What the country actually needs is a SECOND INDEPENDENCE….no more Union Jack and those other symbols of colonialism flutteting over our heads, free from from British indoctrinated psyche/racism against Indo Fijians (vulagi’s..inspite of generation’s having been born in Fiji and victims of military coups) free from Rabuka and his ilk’s ethnonationalism, free from the religious hatred against Fiji’s Hindus by evangelical “Christians” who have nothing better to do, and about time Fiji military consider having an IndoFijian regiment and/or battalion.
Maybe only then we might just become united as a “new” nation!!
At the end of the day when all is said and done, this Kangaroo Court will have set some very high legal standards. They will be very proud. Just ask them.