Grubsheet is today publishing Chapters 7 and 8 of the Commission of Inquiry Report into the circumstances of Barbara Malimali’s appointment as FICAC Commissioner. These have been leaked to me and I strongly believe that publishing them is in the public interest, especially given the attempts to suppress the COI Report.
It isn’t the entire Report, which we have been told extends to 600 plus pages. But it is the most important sections of the Report – what offences Justice David Ashton-Lewis has found may have been committed and his recommendations moving forward.
These are not findings of definitive guilt on the part of those named. The Judge has made it clear that it is up to the relevant investigative bodies to decide whether the findings should be taken further. But what the Judge details in his findings is an extraordinary indictment of the Fijian criminal justice system and its major players.
We have long suspected that there is something very rotten in the State of Fiji and “rotten” is the word the Prime Minister himself used when he asked Justice Ashton-Lewis to conduct his inquiry in the first place.
How has it come to this? We are at the beginning of a long period of national introspection and soul-searching as to how our institutions could have been so corrupted. But it is already clear that putting certain individuals into positions of the highest authority in our offices of state has been a disaster.
People have been chosen on the basis of race or who they know rather than on the only qualification that matters – merit. And it is a cancer that is destroying the nation from within.
That is why Grubsheet has decided to publish what has been leaked to us. Repeated attempts have been made to suppress the material you are about to read. But every citizen is entitled to read it and know the danger that confronts our beloved Fiji and its fragile democracy.
These findings cannot be ignored. They must be acted upon. And failure to fully implement the recommendations of this report is not an option.
Leaking these sections of the report does not affect any subsequent investigations or proceedings. Those will be determined by the relevant authorities on the traditional basis that those accused are entitled to the presumption of innocence and that if charges are eventually laid, due process will be respected.
We will be evaluating the contents of these sections of the COI Report in the coming days.
NOTE TO READERS:
My apologies for the formatting and the challenges of reading these extracts but they are in the form I received them.
What the actual f@ck!
Send them packing and set up a separate group for taking these people to court.
Sack the CJ NOW!
Arrest Biman and co and restart the investigation.
Arrest him for what? At most he will have to resign which is what EVERYONE wants. Nobody wants Biman charged so that the rule of law is upheld. They want him charged so that he has to leave his position as Minister.
He will win his case eventually. He won’t be found guilty. All the reasons that FICAC gave when closing his case IS valid.
And he will have all the political mileage going into next elections.
Nothing in the report implicated him in Malimali’s appointment.
I don’t think you understand. He was being investigated by FICAC for giving a false declaration to the Elections Office. That charge will be re-instituted if things go the way they should and he will be arrested and put before the courts, which is what should have happened in the first place.
You have tried to railroad through an unsustainable position. It’s what happens when conviction gets the better of judgment and the facts.
Anonymous and Graham are both right.
Even if he is charged, Biman will be likely acquitted by the court anyway. The precedent was set with Rabuka’s case in 2018. And FICAC’s reasons for closing Biman’s case are also true and will be another reason why the case will probably be acquitted.
At the end of the day, with the documents you have published Graham, there is nothing that implicates Biman in any illegal activity regarding the appointment of Malimali. So I don’t think Biman will be investigated by the police and his case will not be investigated by FICAC as well as the report recommends an independent counsel investigate cases closed by Malimali.
Please read the report and what it says. That the charge against Biman Prasad by FICAC be reviewed by independent legal counsel (with a view to whether it should be re-instituted). If he is charged again, he will be arrested and appear before a FICAC court. To say that he will be acquitted is premature, even from a true believer like you.
After reading chapter 3 of the report, FICAC didn’t have enough evidence for Biman’s case until 2 days before charging him. They were supposed to caution interview him on the 5th but charged him without conducting it. And Malimali was Commissioner on the 5th and she didn’t sign off on it so the charges shouldn’t stand (?). The case is looking more and more likely to be thrown out if taken to court. Why bother to charge Biman with such a flimsy case in the first place? This looks more and more like a hit job to get him to lose his Cabinet position.
Another attempt to muddy the waters in Biman Prasad’s favour. The Judge recommends that an independent senior counsel review the charge that was to be laid against the NFP leader but which was thwarted. If it is re-instituted, he will be arrested and tried. And it will be the end of his political career.
Biman allegedly did not declare truthfully. This is a requirement under the law. A false declaration (if proven true) is a huge red flag for a senior politician. Bear in mind that senior politicians with access to top lawyers need to comply with the law better than anyone else. If I were Biman, I’d be questioning the lawyers/accountants or whoever was in charge of making submissions. However, ultimately it is his head on the board and there is no reason why he should hold his substantive post when failing to comply with electoral rules means you are not deemed to run the elections.
@Anonymous – Baiman is extremely lucky if he resigns and uses this opportunity to not contest the next election because he faces a humiliating loss as Indians see him as Dogla or traitor.
Not only will he go down, he will take NFP with him in the worst loss in the party’s history under its worst leader in history.
Biman is not leadership material in any sense of the word.
He is a self serving charlatan.
The COI is an escape route for Baiman to save face and he should use it as an exit strategy and depart politics like the rat and weasel that he is.
Kaboom!
Well done as always mate! I’ll have a cold one for you this evening!
Wow great. It’s out for everyone to see the outcome of the report.
GD’s greatest work to date.
Vinaka.
Brett, to be fair, I’m not the only recipient. But the more people who publish it the better. Strength in numbers. They will not be able to pursue everyone even if they want to.
GD thank you for the COI report. On the issue of CJ’s directive to CR that no charges will be accepted in any court of Fiji amounts to hearsay evidence in law and thus will not be admissible in evidence. However the rest of the gang get ready to face the police investigations.
Thank you GD once again for being the best investigative journalist in the Pacific.
That’s not heresay evidence. If you watch the video of the proceedings then you will see that Temo himself admitted to giving these instructions to the CR. He gave some stupid reason why he said it but more importantly he did admit giving that specific directive. So the CJ should just either resign or be suspended pending investigations. Either way Temo the clown is f**ked.
Reading the Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry confirms what many of us have feared for some time: that the integrity of Fiji’s public institutions has been compromised at the highest levels. The findings, while not definitive proof of guilt, raise serious questions that demand immediate and honest reckoning.
As someone deeply concerned for the future of our country, I believe the path forward is still open. The 2013 Constitution gives us the legal and institutional tools to correct course—if we are willing to use them decisively, transparently, and fairly.
Those named in the report, particularly those in positions of public trust, should do the honorable thing: voluntarily step aside while investigations proceed. This is not an admission of guilt, but a necessary step to protect the credibility of the institutions they serve. In doing so, they would help set a new national standard for accountability and leadership.
We now have a choice—to ignore these findings and risk deeper decay, or to confront them with integrity and begin the long, necessary work of rebuilding public trust. I hope we choose the latter.
To those implicated: Please, for the sake of the nation, do the right thing. Step back, cooperate fully, and allow justice and due process to take their course. Fiji deserves no less.
Question is, does Rabuka have the strength and commitment like Frank and Aiyaz to get rid of rotten apples or will he simply give in to all the different interests that he wants to either tabetabe to (be obsequious to), or masi polo (suck up to) or is lamu of (frightened of).
This will be the ultimate test of his leadership. If he fails, Fiji, good bye.
When it comes to the rule of law, this government cannot be trusted. In fact, this government has not only circumvented the rule of law, but also betrayed the trust of the people. The very people who elected them.
Sitiveni Rabuka perpetuated the betrayal of the people by his inaction on the report. He even attempted to bury it.
Sitiveni Rabuka is unfit to lead.
His loyalty to Biman is greater than his loyalty to this country and its citizens.
In fact, if not for the military intervention, this report would have never been made public, and the people would have been wiser.
Rolex Rabuka must go with his buddy Biman.
It’s a national emergency.
The people have now no hope or choice but to put their trust in the military.
The military must do it right by the people and force the government to take action on the findings of the report.
Step one is the report has been released or leaked, and the people are now in the know.
Step two is actions taken on the findings of the report.
Without step two the process is incomplete and the betrayal of the people of this country will continue so it is the duty of the military to ensure that step two is taken, and those implicated in the report are charged and taken to task.
Enough time has elapsed and if the government won’t action then the military must do it for them.
Sooner rather than later!
The CJ is a man of integrity and he will step aside and make life easier for PM and President.
That is not what the COI has found. Temo is far from being a man of integrity. And he is toast.
It is both deeply disappointing and infuriating that the President has failed to formally release the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report.
Instead, the public is forced to rely on a leaked version to understand matters of national importance.
Is the President unaware—or simply ignoring the fact—that he has no constitutional authority to act contrary to the advice of the Prime Minister?
Reports indicate that the Prime Minister had advised him to release the report. His refusal to comply is not only disrespectful but also a flagrant breach of his constitutional role.
This President has brought disgrace upon the high office he occupies. The same must be said of Chief Justice Temo, whose conduct in this matter is equally reprehensible.
Both have shown they are unfit to serve and should be removed from their positions without delay.
We can only hope that the Fiji Police Force will act swiftly and impartially to investigate those named in the COI report.
However, given their current lackluster response to escalating crime and the drug crisis, confidence in their effectiveness is waning.
Waiting for Dear Boy Charlie to discredit the findings.
Silence from senior lawyers and legal bodies.
I herby declare two more crocodiles.
13. The PrIme Minister of Fiji
14. The President of Fiji
The whole system of governance and the leeches who enable this behaviour from outside the government is about to tumble, like a house of cards.
No one is trustworthy.
GD, I wish you would also not lose focus on how Malimali paid her legal representative during this COI investigations.
Another thing that boggles my mind is that Rabuku is currently the prosecutor in the 4.5 Billion dollar drug case. What would the fallout be should those charged appeal the matter?
Malimali isn’t coming back and John Rabuku and Nancy Tikoisuva must be removed for the ODPP to regain any credibility at all. It clearly cannot be allowed to make decisions on any police investigation given the devastating findings against the Acting DPP and Deputy DPP.
The uneducated, unethical, unprincipled and the unfcuking bastards have truly taken over Fiji under Biman and Rabuka.
This is what people like Richard Naidu are trying to hide from the public. So much for calling oneself honest and principled. These guys are worse than maggots who eat on rotting flesh.
People need to rise and remove this government now or there will be nothing left saving in an year’s time.
Do you think the President of Fiji will take any action against the Chief Justice? I don’t think so. Likewise I don’t think anyone will take action against Rabuku? Nothing will happen to to the Chief Justice. This man has destroyed the legal system of Fiji. He has to go but will he? President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice eat from the same plate. There will be no positive outcome from this report. It will be buried soon.
Everyone named in this report should have stepped aside and let formal investigations carried out. Not a single soul has stepped aside. CJ should lead by example.
Temo can’t make any decisions on 2013 constitution
No, he must be suspended and tried for misbehaviour by a judicial tribunal, as the Constitution stipulates.
I can now sleep in peace. Waiting for season two. Will the PM follow through ? Will the President follow the PM ? Will the 2 DPM’s be investigated. Will CJ resign ? Interesting days ahead . So exciting.
Where are the big mouth kailoma media Jo Blows like Stanley Simpson and Wilson? Hiding already.
This whole fiasco could have been avoided if Fiji’s media did their job. They are as useless as ever. They are part of the problem and a corrupt party to this government. Shame on them all.
All the vocal media personalities during the FijiFirst era are now so so so quiet.
Lap dog media is what they are..
If anything, I would like to acknowledge Alex F. This person rose above others and is a true Fijian at heart.
Thank you.
Alexandra Forwood played them all and set a mouse trap that they all fell into. they wanted their cheese and wanted to eat it too. She must like to play Chess that’s a strategist all around. It’s amazing how Ms Mason and the judge did their work. They must be recommended for the Order of Fiji. It was great having foreigners to do the COI they put us Fijians to shame. Their thoroughness must not be forgotten.
It’s sickening and utterly shameful ! We need to call off this Coaltion government now .
Commander- do your job !
Hands of tyranny potters of the 2013 Constitution.
The COI findings and recommendations demonstrate a tyrannical mindset “baton changing’ into a new set of actors.
Honesty and the people of our beloved country do not seem to matter at all. Operate at their whim, unaccountable.
I say this respectfully we have to face it whether we are for or against it:
1.Deal lawfully with all the actors that have let all of us down.” If the shoe was on the other foot”, we would want to be treated in a like manner too.
2. Again, respectfully the Constitution of Fiji needs to reflect the wishes of the people of Fiji.
If we deal with 1 only and not 2 above also (the elephant in the room/systemic fundamental matter) the hands of tyranny i.e. lack of fair mindedness, procedural unfairness, lack of due process, authoritarianism, and lack of decorum will remain an institutionalized incubator period.
Do you honestly think that another constitution would have prevented all this? It is the fact that the supreme law has not been obeyed that is the problem.
It just took 2 humans to unravel all this.
Now learn Fiji’s useless lawyers and law society. Look at the depth and integrity of that report.
Hang your heads in shame Rabuka and President.
You must all go.
Time for snap elections.
#voteofnoconfidence
Finally, chapters 7 and 8 are being made public – those that being implicated should stand aside and resign from their positions immediately if not then the PM should ask them to resign via police investigations!
Why did the PM not releasing the COI report, GD?
Good job GD for releasing these important chapters of the COI
Now we know who to vote in the next GE 2026
Lessons learnt:
1. work professionally with integrity to uphold the rule of law in our country
2. stop being wannabe PM and do the work thoroughly for the people and donate money to the poor or Red Cross
3. ensure that the new FICAC Commissioner is an overseas one if Puleiwai is not willing to come back.
4. all people of Fiji should work with integrity and follow the LAW at all time to move our country forward
God Bless Fiji!
The “Oxford” dictionary may submit the allegations and findings of the Coi report be thrown out on this misidentification grounds: Per the Oxford dictionary the identified subjects are not Crocodiles but they are in fact Alligators. So there are no crocodiles but only alligators in the pond. Case dismissed. What say CC the defender of Reptiles 😉