Christopher Pryde has issued a formal statement to the media in which he makes some astonishing revelations about the circumstances in which the Judicial Services Commission has sidelined him and reappointed Nancy Tikoisuva as Acting DPP.
1/ He reveals that Nancy Tikoisuva has filed a number of fresh allegations against him on top of those she had already made and to which he gave a detailed response to the JSC. This second set of complaints has not been made public but accounts for Christopher Pryde continuing his leave to address them.
2/ The DPP reveals that it was actually the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, who suggested that he take an additional three weeks leave to respond to the fresh charges from the same file that the JSC relied on in its unsuccessful attempt to remove Christopher Pryde at the end of last year. He alleges that the CJ told him he could take further leave if he needed more time.
3/ The DPP reveals that he heard that the JSC had reappointed Nancy Tikoisuva as Acting DPP on Monday like everyone else. From the media. He expresses surprise that the JSC did not inform him that he had been sidelined nor consult him about the suitability of Nancy Tikoisuva’s appointment to preside over the ODPP in his absence even though he remains the substantive DPP.
4/ The DPP expresses the opinion that Nancy Tikoisuva is not suitable to hold the position of Acting DPP. But he also reveals that he had to defy the wishes of the Secretary of the JSC – the Chief Registrar Tomasi Bainivalu – who wanted the Deputy DPP, John Rabuku, to preside over the office when three Supreme Court judges ruled that Rabuku can never head the ODPP because of the finding of professional misconduct against him. That the CR was intent on making an unlawful appointment is extraordinary.
5/ The DPP confirms that despite the President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, issuing a directive that he be paid outstanding salary and benefits “immediately”, this has still not occurred five weeks since that directive was given. Does the state not comprehend the meaning of the word “immediate? It sure seems that way.
6/ The DPP reveals that he has sent the JSC a bill from his lawyers for the cost of defending himself against the prosecution for misbehaviour that failed, with Christopher Pryde being exonerated by the Tribunal of three High Court judges that heard the case against him and being reinstated by the President. He doesn’t mention the amount of the claim but it would easily run into tens of thousands of dollars. Again, the taxpayer is expected to foot the bill for the JSC’s incompetence.
7/ The DPP repeats his protestations of innocence of the fresh charges laid against him by Nancy Tikoisuva with the JSC and FICAC, describes them as “baseless” and says the allegations are being “drip fed” through the system to cause maximum disruption to the ODPP and prevent him from resuming his duties.
Read on and be amazed. And also deeply disturbed that the independence of the ODPP has been violated and that Salesi Temo as Chief Justice and head of the JSC has disregarded Christopher Pryde’s exoneration by three High Court judges and is relying on recycled evidence from the same file that was rejected to finally nail him.
It is a national scandal that cannot continue. It is the Chief Justice who should rightly be suspended for misbehaviour for his extraordinary attack on the integrity of the criminal justice system, not only over the Pryde matter but his refusal to suspend the FICAC Commissioner, Barbara Malimali ( see previous article).
UPDATE:
Coverage in Saturday’s newspapers.
Sadly this f**all government is weaponizing the judiciary for their gain. I thought Bainimarama was bad but this lot take the cake for being the most corrupt government in Fijian history.
About time the public start making these clowns uncomfortable till 2026.
Government will most likely come back in defence to say that as per the constitution, “The President may, on the recommendation of the Judicial Services Commission following consultation by it with the Attorney-General, appoint a person to act as the Director of Public Prosecutions during any period or during all periods, when the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is vacant or when the Director of Public Prosecutions is absent from duty or from Fiji or is, for any reason, unable to perform the functions of office.” (Sec117) ….But they still had no professional courtesy to at least notify DPP Pryde. Very cloak and dagger as usual under the Rabuka regime.
We can’t call Fiji a banana republic anymore because even monkeys have 98% of human DNA and a functional brain to determine right from wrong.
We have truly become a Kava Republic…doped, numb, asleep and too lazy to wake up even if means disaster for us.
They will continue to delay his return until his contract expires, at which point they will simply not renew it.
Delaying tactics are a norm in this pigsty of Rabuka’s government. It is meant to frustrate a person into walking away.
Anyone reading this should be giving Fiji a wide berth as possible, both as a tourist or an investor.
If only some right thinking senior military officer decided to save the constitution and throw this lot out…
I think that Mr Pryde is the only sane one in this debacle and should be lauded for his patience, honesty and attitude after all that these corrupt, self serving buffoons have thrown at him in the last two years to try and break him and get their own way.
He should be commended for his tenacity, and if this country had more people like him, it could regain its place in the real world and prosper.
Instead, it is being tainted on a daily basis by a crew of collaborating dimwits whose only qualification for being in power is that they were born here.
The behaviour of the Chief Justice and the Chief Registrar in this FICAC and Christopher Pryde saga shows the futility and total obsolescence of Fiji’s Development Plan 2025 – 2029 that seeks to ensure an accessible, efficient, effective and transparent judicial system.
Fiji’s current judicial system is far from that and we can thank the two gentlemen for that.
Everyone is complaining about rubbish and trash everywhere in Fiji. On the streets, on the beaches, in drains and highways and everywhere else.
It is a Third World country after all- very proud Third World country at that.
But in order to remove the trash from the streets, they first have to remove the trash from their government. There are not just monkeys and donkeys in government, there is a whole heap of rubbish in parliament. You just need to watch the parliament channel.
What is more, you need to look at the church and the rubbish that is in all the churches around Fiji. People have taken up the rubbish in parliament and in the churches with a great deal of passion, and then they all wonder there is so much rubbish on the streets.
But why is there so much rubbish in parliament and in the churches? It is because the whole population of the country are rubbish. It is not rocket science.
Let’s be clear..if those involved are prepared to stoop this low and are prepared to destroy the integrity of the judicial system, the ODPP and the FICAC , then they will certainly rig the next election to remain in power and hide their crimes. It’s a given.
Found under Biman’s pillow.
Let’s not believe that ” freedom” we grant them ” is good for them. We grant them freedom only so that they can increase in stupidity and there awaits them a humbling chastisement ” ..
Signed 3 stooges
It is becoming obvious that Temo doesn’t want Christopher Pryde back as Director of Public Prosecution.
So he is creating roadblocks. It is also obvious that Nancy and Rabuku are scared of being pushed out of ODPP, if Pryde is back.They are being assisted by Temo, who could have put his foot down and honored the decision of the Tribunal and call by President to not only reinstate Pryde immediately but pay his outstanding salaries and dues
All these people are aligned with their attempt to keep Pryde away. As the saying goes, ” birds of a feather flock together.”
Temo is also resisting the suspension of Malimali by making excuses. Let’s wait for the KC’s interpretation whether Temo has powers to suspend Malimali. Let’s wait and see what comes out from Justice Lewis at the end of the Commission of Inquiry.
I am not sure who, but someone fair-minded in authority should act now and stop the rot. The trust in the judiciary, ODPP, President, Rabuka, and the Commander has completely eroded. Fiji needs to be salvaged from the claws of these few people as soon as possible.
The trust in Rabuka and his Coalition government has already been eroded. Nine of his Ministers are under investigation, and these people have no shame and integrity to stand down from their respective positions until their investigations are completed.
First the judiciary is raped.
Then the country becomes a dump.
Followed by high rates of violence on women.
Then the youth go wild.
This is just the beginning of the apocalypse.
Brace rawa.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18LMFpDLRG/
And the shit fight is now well and truly underway.
Where is the AG?
Why isn’t every sane legal person screaming from the roof tops. Why isn’t the Law Society, Richard, Graham and other Judges demanding Temo’s resignation and the restoration of sanity?
I had previously suggested that C Pryce should have taken the money, resigned and kissed good bye. Because there is no future for the outsiders any more. Also the gang of the untouchables, led by the judiciary, Mr Justice Temo, Turaga, et al were to get rid of Pryde. This was evidenced at the Hearing before a Tribunal, when his line managers gave disparaging and untruthful evidence against him with a view to damaging his reputation and career and expected that the Tribunal would make a finding against him. Fortunately, the Tribunal didn’t and Pryde and was successful.
Pryde, in my opinion should have returned to Fiji immediately after that judgment, collected all his back pay and cleared his other outstanding issues, then make a final speech about the way he was treated and left. But sadly, that has never happened.
Now it has become the pay back time for the untouchables against Pryde. It has become clear that he is now a victim with further allegations of misconduct against him. These allegations haven’t been made public but in light of the previous “round Robin” collective effort to get rid of him didn’t succeed, but sadly this time round, I really can’t imagine Pryde succeeding with everything stacked against him. As we have seen the action of Mr Justice Temo, who has previoulsy on his own volition single handedly took upon himself to punish and incarcerate ex-PM Bainmarama which just goes to show the enormous judicial authority and power he is capable of exercising and get away with it. I feel sorry for C Pryde.