Waves of fear and trepidation are sweeping over much of officialdom in Suva as confirmation comes that Barbara Malimali has been suspended as FICAC Commissioner and will be tried for alleged misbehaviour.
It is reportedly only the start of a massive purge as the Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, implements the recommendations of the Ashton-Lewis Report into the “rotten circumstances” of Malimali’s appointment. Yes, folks, it’s happening despite our doubts about Rabuka’s resolve and we can be sure that things are never going to be quite the same again.
Grubsheet understands that a startling array of announcements are still to come.
- That the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, will also be suspended for alleged misbehaviour and be tried by a panel of three judges. The Chief Registrar, Tomasi Bainivalu, and the Solicitor General, Ropate Green Lomavatu, will also be removed.
- The former FICAC Deputy Commissioner, Francis Puleiwai, will be reinstated and those investigations and charges she was thwarted from pursuing will proceed.
- This includes the charge against the Deputy Prime Minister and former NFP leader, Biman Prasad, of allegedly giving false information to the Elections Office. Biman Prasad and another Minister under investigation, fellow Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica, face the very real threat of corruption trials.
- That Nancy Tikoisuva and John Rabuku will be removed from the ODPP in a clean sweep of the two prosecution services of the state.
- That the Ashton-Lewis COI findings will be publicly released next week.
Here’s what we know officially so far from the Prime MInister’s statement announcing Barbara Malimali’s removal, with other announcements reportedly pending.
Sitiveni Rabuka disingenuously tries to portray it as the President’s decision when it is HIS decision. Under the Constitution, the President acts on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Plus some of the mainstream media coverage as of the early hours of this morning Fiji time. Grubsheet was the first to break the news of Barbara Malimali’s removal. Several hours later came the following…
Stand by for more…
UPDATE FRIDAY AM:
Rumours are sweeping Suva that the Attorney General, Graham Leung, has been dismissed. One report has it that Leung was sacked after he told the President that he had no power to remove Barbara Malimali.
High drama on Ratu Sukuna Day. What would the great statesman have made of current events?
BOOM
This snake will remain a snake. He cannot be trusted.
He can’t afford to lose most of these fu*kwits especially Temo as he needs him for the Constitution review.
Until these lot implicated in the Report end up in prison only then can Rabuka perhaps gain some credibility.
This is all a show. They will go through the investigation process and then will be given the all clear and take back their positions.
I hope I’m wrong. Only time will tell.
Okayyee
So what happens to the Kiwi,
Is he flying back to Fiji.?
Former DPP Mr Pryde.
He is the current DPP. He still holds the substantive position.
GD ,you know everything ayee.
Kiwis don’t fly.
So he is not coming back anymore.
Even without COI it was evident those names were visible in the Ficac Saga as it unfolded during Pulewais expulsion.All of them need to be taken out otherwise this Govt must go.
I said from the start that he was signalling to those that knew they were implicated that it was time to leave. Let’s hope that he has now made the decision to ‘man up’ that he has implemented the ‘Stop Departure’ notices to those that will be getting their day in Court.
Finally, some semblance of order may be restored to the country and with Temo heading out the door, Christopher Pryde might be able to return to complete the clean up.
Let’s hope!
Graham. Breaking news.
Pls note carefully.
All you are predicting will not happen as long as buka the baku is in control.
As far as the snake is concerned the public pressure to make public the COI report was just a little too much for him to handle this time. This is a rare phenomenon but the old snake just doesn’t have the energy to ignore such major political upheaval anymore. He can’t blissfully ignore the public rumbling of such magnitude anymore. Heck, even his own ethno nationalists support base is braying for blood and demanding an immediate release of the COI report. Buka knows that if he resists any longer then most of the same idiotic people who supported and propped up his evil legacy for the last 4 decades will turn on him in spectacular fashion. Just like they turned on Ratu Mara in 2000. Mara’s mana, respect and legacy was shot to pieces overnight and he soon died a broken man liumuried by his own people who had blindly supported him for decades.
The baku can see the same thing will happen to him if he resists the report. So he has given all you peasants the next best thing. A head on a plate without a report. Buka is known to throw people under the bus. He doesn’t care who they are. Heck, he’s thrown manoa, biman and blinky bill under the bus a few times in the last almost 3 years.
He thinks that if he gives the public mob Barbara’s and some other small heads as an offering then the demand for the COI report will be diminished.
He simply can’t release the report. Not because he’s protecting friends and colleagues but because he’s protecting the one person that he has always protected at all costs. That is he himself.
You see my friend I do happen to know that the report contains the shocking revelation by francis Pulewai that when the commissioners job was advertised she really wanted it. So pulewai got in touch with buka the baku and expressed her desire for the top job. After an exchange of emails she also went and personally visited baku at his office. As always baku had something to gain and got Pulewai to continue to do his evil bidding by way of prosecuting and hounding the coalition people the coalition didn’t like.
Baku, manoa and biman had a field day setting the ficac hounds against people they didn’t like. No evidence? No problem. Raids and interrogations without evidence became common. Even the sound advise and recommendations by some honest ficac officers not to charge of investigate certain individuals cos of lack of evidence was ignored by Pulewai. Pulewai sold her self respect and integrity and did bakus bidding all because she wanted the top job. And guess what? Baku promised her the top job. All this evidence is contained in the COI report via pulewais confession. Pulewai is still spewing that buka the baku liumuried her and finally gave the top job to Barabara at the last minute. And that my friend is the ONLY reason why baku has not and will not release the COI report to the public.
Baku couldn’t give a rats arse about anyone if it means saving his own old saggy arse. Anyone can be thrown under the bus. They are all fair game to him. The only way to get around his web of deceit is for someone to leak the report. Then and only then will the Fijian public know the full extent of the corruption, evil and treachery of the evil man who has been destroying our country for 40 years. In the meantime baku is keeping his fingers crossed that his own supporters will stop demanding for the report after presenting Barbara’s head on the public plate. So what if she’s collateral damage. Rabuka’s chequered history is littered with hundreds of used and abused citizens who made the mistake of trusting the biggest snake in the country.
BtW. Interesting optics last night with Pio in full stuttering display after his 40 day jaunt, admitting that the commander had written to him about this ongoing controversy. Wouldn’t we all like to know what the bug eyed flaccid dick wrote. I’m sure it will come out soon. But don’t hold your breath on baku releasing the report. He knows it’ll be his end if he does. And he doesn’t want to go out in such an undignified way that Mara did.
It’s hard not to be cynical and assume he’s only acting on the recommendations because he’s been backed into a corner and has to to save face, and have any chance at the next selection. I doubt he’s suddenly had a brain re-wiring.
I suspect the next lot of appointments to replace these will also be hand picked to implement Rabuka’s agenda. He may have learnt that he has to implement the agenda before the hand picked corrupt go too far off the rails that he has to let them go.
Isa Pio trying to be relevant. Commander will write to no one ever. Stop bullshiting Pio.
Better you go back to the middle east and bury your head in the sand again.
It’s a start, and it feels like the grown ups have finally shown up.
Next step investigate and reverse the tax holiday.
Then establish good governance, sober decision makers and fairness to all. No more favours for political connections. It’s been a hopeless 3 years, but things could improve from here.
Hope springs eternal.
Oh, so the PM on his own can suspend the FICAC commissioner. I thought only the president can do that on the recommendation of Judicial Services Commission.
What is the PM up to now?
It will be interesting to know the part RFMF played in this?
Is it getting beyond limits for RFMF to watch any further corruption and suffering of the people?
Interesting times ahead.
Well done GD, thanks to your continuous careful efforts.
Rabuka flips again—this time in the right direction, taking action on the Commission of Inquiry recommendations. He now promises to follow through on the rest and release the full COI report next week. We’ll wait and see if this flip actually sticks.
Meanwhile, Biman and Kamkamica must be kicking themselves. They backed Rabuka when he said the report wouldn’t be released.
Surely, by now they’ve learned that their leader flips more than a coin in a hurricane. Only this time, public pressure made sure he landed upright—for once.
So now we wait for the next round of “action,” which will restore some credibilbility in Rabuka’s leadership. Even more when he takes action on
Biman, Kamkamica, and all those who were under active investigation, and their files got closed by the illegally appointed Barbara Malimali
Breaking Attorney General Graham Leung FIRED.
As the great Nobel Laureate sang:
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin.
The snake is an expert playing smoke and mirrors. The pedo presidenti is the snake’s puppet.
All the looters will be having a party and laughing away.
When one himself is in chaos then to whom he can point a finger.
Series continues from last 20 years in Fijflix.
Remember folks, suspended on full pay only to be reinstated when the low IQ fijian public forgets about all this and moves on in a few weeks.
Rabuka is just doing what he did with Lynda and those that think otherwise are delusional.
This is just to create a smokescreen for the continued corruption by the coalition. There will be no change, only more wastage. Anyway the chow eating fijian can definitely afford the wastage to continue by their government.
Good start but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They are only suspended and not sacked.
If this is a start of a clean up then the substantive DPP Pryde should be brought back to Fiji with guarantees that he will be unmolested.
Any other small Pacific Island in sight of Malimali for a job?
All that will fall is collateral damage, Sitiveni needs another term , there is only one goal that he has….change the constitution to something close to the 1997 version. He has the GCC reinstated into the political domain advocating divisive changes publicly.
Tribal politics is back.
He will try to change or replace the constitution at all cost…he is trying to canvass public support to get another term, he may seem Mr nice guy now but he will the real snake if he gets another shot
Non itaukei coalitions won’t matter he has the GCC as his campaign team.