The Deputy FICAC Commissioner, Francis Puleiwai, has resigned at the end of a tumultuous day in which she ordered the arrest of her new boss, Barbara Malimali, said she was planning to arrest Biman Prasad and then told the media that she had been ordered to “lay off’ charging the Deputy Prime Minister and NFP leader.
It has been an explosive series of events that call into question the integrity of the Coalition government and the integrity of our offices of state and has raised the ugly spectre of corruption at the heart of government and the institutions that are supposed to keep it honest.
The two burning questions are these:
1/ Who forced the resignation of the FICAC Deputy Commissioner, whose independence is established in the Constitution – the supreme law? It came after she held a meeting with the Judicial Services Commission. That means its head, the Acting Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, who has a reputation for being an intimidating bully. If he demanded that she stand down, he has exceeded his authority and called into question his own integrity. Because what the hell was Salesi Temo doing appointing Barbara Malimali as FICAC Commissioner – Francis Puleiwai’s superior – when Malimali was under active investigation by FICAC for abuse of office as Electoral Commissioner?
The Attorney General, Graham Leung, says the other electoral commissioners had vouched for Barbara Malimali. That is neither here nor there. She was being investigated by the corruption watchdog and nothing should have got in the way of that process.
2/ Who instructed the FICAC Deputy Commissioner to “lay off” charging Biman Prasad over his alleged failure to declare assets and income in advance of the last election? Was it Salesi Temo? Or was it Graham Leung, the Attorney General? Because again, the protestations by Biman Prasad and his lawyers that the charges weren’t justified is neither here nor there. FICAC was pursuing them and that process has been scandalously undermined.
The independence of the corruption watchdog has been gravely violated. The Constitution guarantees its independence to carry out whatever investigations it deems fit. And none of what has happened today is lawful. The opinions of the principals don’t matter a jot. There is a proper process that should have been allowed to run its course and that has been interrupted in a manner that should cause grave concern to every Fijian.
If either Salesi Temo or Graham Leung have got in the way of the law being followed, they should be forced to resign and a process launched to charge them with perverting the course of justice. But, of course, that won’t happen because the criminal justice system is now so corrupt that the Acting DPP, Nancy Tikoisuva, will wash her hands of the entire affair. These people are now a law unto themselves and don’t give a damn what the law prescribes.
We can only conclude that Barbara Malimali has been installed as FICAC Commissioner to thwart the investigations into Biman Prasad and other ministers. That is a shocking national scandal – something far worse than ever occurred under the FijiFirst Government.
We can have no confidence in the rule of law in Fiji when the corruption watchdog is taken out and shot ( make that she is forced to shoot herself ) to save the skins of a bunch of politicians and their enablers in the offices of state who promised better standards of governance yet have delivered us far worse.
A very dark day for Fiji that will have all sorts of implications for confidence in the rule of law on top of the violations we have already witnessed over the past 21 months from this bunch of self- serving, self interested, power hungry violators of the law and all proper standards of conduct.
We no longer have a genuine corruption watchdog, Fiji. And that means corruption will now run riot under a government that has betrayed the Fijian people and betrayed all civilised norms. They will be targeting only their opponents from now on. And their own people will be able to get away with anything, as Lynda Tabuya, and now Biman Prasad, already have.
After all this drama, one thing is for certain, Baimaan’s days are numbered.
Indeed, this government’s days are numbered.
Biman and his lawyers are first class idiots.
They say the cover up is always worse than the crime.
Here there’s an allegation of false declarations of assets (amply covered by Victor Lal). But is any of it an actual crime or corruption? Looks like we will never know.
But this clumsy heavy handed turn of events now guarantees that in the court of public perception BIMAN IS Guilty of something. Shamefully this has debased any standards or pretence that this mob are following the rule of law.
What now for other isssues like conflicts of interest in relation to the use of public finances?
A few things are now true:
1. There has been a collapse in good governance
2. The rule of law is more honored in the breach than the observance
3. Elected officials and their lackeys have gone full about into the trough
What we just witnessed is a soft coup against the people of Fiji by members of the Judicial Services Commission, led by its Chair, the acting Chief Justice and supported by Bainivalu, the Chief Registrar, Minister for Justice, Siromi Tiraga and the Solicitor/General, Ropate Green.
The victim is Francis Pulewai, the acting Head of FICAC and in tune the people of Fiji.
Prime responsibility falls on the judicial Services Commission. They should not have gone ahead and appointed Ms Malimali as Head of FICAC knowing full well there was an active FICAC investigation against her.
The itaukei are fighting each other for powerful positions. Biman’s (the lonesome kaidia)case is being used and pushed to the forefront to save the mostly itaukei corrupt politicians. Again an indo fijian is being used. Unfortunately Biman can’t see that. He should resign.
No,no, please no. ‘Come alone, eh’ is there to serve: personal enrichment, cronyism, and be an obedient useful idiot for silly senile siti.
Let him suffer more.
Have we now officially passed the well-being threshold to enable some sort of step-in under section 131 of the Constitution?
Malimali is another idiot put forward by the regime to defend themselves because they have seen that Barbara would do their bidding since they salvaged her plateaued and almost declining career.
Malimali started off her masi polo with Lynda Tabuya hoping that she would give her a position in government once PAP wins the 2022 election. Once Malimali realized that Lynda is a better Cinderella and Lynda would not give any stardom status to her, she quickly diverted her support to Vosarogo, the guy who beat Malimali to Director Legal Aid Commission position many years ago.
Once Vosarogo got into parliament, he quickly forgot Malimali. Malimali threw many public tantrums on Facebook complaining about this regime lack of female representation in key legal positions, in other words, she complained why she had not been returned a favour by Vosarogo.
Once she got the Electoral Commissioner job, she shut her mouth. She got totally muted and ended her push for more female representation because that push is basically a push for herself.
The Coalition is now using her as their dirty tool to protect them from being charged because she is easily manipulated since her future career and life depends on this Coalition.
Can you imagine a position for Malimali in a new government? Just as this government is nearing its end, so is Malimali’s entire career.
https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/puleiwai-hands-in-her-resignation/
GD – Barbara told Francis not to charge Biman.
Frank and Qiliho are in prison because of some made up story about stopping an investigation into USP.
Wtf are the greens doing.
Leung is the token Chinger sent out to wipe the shit stains from another Rabuka appointment. When will someone in the RFMF have the guts to say enough is enough and invoke relevant sections of Fiji’s constitution and kick this government out Graham?
Oh wow! What the actual heck was that today!
Soft civil unrest or may I say something huge is about to unfold.
Either way this all looks exactly like the change we expected under Rabuka.
Where is the army now?
It was national arrest your boss at work day.
Unfortunately there was no kalavata to accompany this exciting new day as it’s been banned by Rambo to save money.
Haha! I need that laugh!
Vinaka Andrew
Won’t belong Fiji. I am a firm believer that government cannot fool all the people all of the time. The time is ticking slowly but surely to an end for this bunch of crooks and criminals. A huge call-out and salute to Francis P. You have way more integrity than this mob will ever have in a life time. Fiji will stand with you and hail you as a woman who was not afraid to take on the criminals in this government. Your conscience is clear and you can sleep well at night. These crooks will never enjoy the same. Francis will have the last laugh.