The Opposition leader, Inia Seruiratu, is calling on the Coalition government to release the entire COI Report on the Malimali affair in unredacted or uncensored form. And for very good reason. Because the Fijian people are being deprived of vital information that is shielding some very important people from scrutiny and enabling them to hoodwink the public about the seriousness of the case against them.
The most prominent of these are two of the three Deputy Prime Ministers – Biman Prasad and Manoa Kamikamica – who are the subject of the two most recent Grubsheet stories that I urge readers to examine/re-examine in detail.
They are the preposterous claim by Biman Prasad in today’s Fiji Times that he is “unfazed” by the COI Report because he was cleared by FICAC of wrongdoing under Barbara Malimali and “that is where the matter ends”. And the equally astonishing failure by Manoa Kamikamica to address the main allegation against him – that he promised a fellow MP, Kalaveti Ravu, that he would use his friendship with Barbara Malimali to shut down a FICAC abuse of office investigation into Ravu.
In the case of Biman Prasad, the NFP leader – like Mr Not-so sweet – is clearly benefiting from the Coalition government’s decision to issue a redacted version of the COI Report and especially to withhold an entire chapter – Chapter 7, which details possible offences committed by those investigated by the COI.
There is a section in Chapter 7 that gives the lie to Biman Prasad’s claim that he is entitled to be “unfazed” because Barbara Malimali closed the case against him and cleared him of wrongdoing. It is NOT the end of the matter. Far from it.
On the specific recommendation of the COI, Biman Prasad’s case is to be reviewed . And if that recommendation is accepted, all the evidence on which Malimali cleared him will be re-examined by an independent counsel.
Even more reason for Biman Prasad to be fazed is that the CID is currently examining the case against him and others who have received adverse findings by Justice David Ashton-Lewis. (We know that FICAC is also investigating Manoa Kamikamica because they have seized his mobile phone).
In Prasad’s case, it is an active investigation in which CID officers are poring through the material that FICAC assembled before Barbara Malimali was parachuted in and on which the former acting deputy commissioner, Francis Puleiwai, made the decision to charge Biman Prasad with abuse of office for having allegedly filed a false income declaration with the Elections Office. As we know, Francis Puleiwai was removed on the very day Biman Prasad was to be charged – September 5 2024.
Grubsheet understands that the police now have information additional to the evidence on which FICAC made its decision to charge Biman Prasad in the first place. There are also unconfirmed reports that they have interviewed the Deputy Prime Minister’s lawyer, Richard Naidu.
The police have also reportedly interviewed the President of the Law Society, Wylie Clarke, who has been eviscerated by the COI for his actions on September 5, when Clarke was present in the room at FICAC when Francis Puleiwai was told – on the instructions of the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo – that no charge she laid would be heard by any court in Fiji.
So it is far from being “where the matter ends”. We have the new police investigation and we have the conclusions of Chapter 7 in the COI Report. Or at least anyone who has an unredacted version of the Report has it, including Grubsheet. And Inia Seruiratu is now calling on the government to release the full version to the public, not least because of the campaign of disinformation emanating from Biman Prasad and Manoa Kamikamica in which the mainstream media has been shamefully complicit.
Here’s what Chapter 7 says about Barbara Malimali’s handling of Biman Prasad’s case – a potential abuse of office charge on her part and a review of the NFP leader’s case. And if the Deputy Prime Minister is”unfazed” by that, it is only because the Fijian people are being deprived of knowing it because this section of the Report has been censored.
To understand the gravity of Biman Prasad’s position – not only the potential for criminal charges but his continued participation in the government and politics – Grubsheet urges its readers to examine the background to this entire affair in the unredacted COI Report Grubsheet has already published in full, along with a summary of the main points.
Biman Prasad’s case is inextricably linked to the events of September 5 last year. Because on the day he was about to be charged, a posse of officers of state and the President of the Fiji Law Society, Wylie Clarke, descended on FICAC. There, according to Justice Ashton-Lewis, they “intimidated, bullied and harrassed” Francis Puleiwai. And the Chief Registrar, Tomasi Bainivalu, conveyed a message from the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, that no charge the acting deputy commissioner laid – including that against Biman Prasad – would be heard by any court.
We know that before this extraordinary confrontation, Biman Prasad’s lawyer, Richard Naidu, had sent Francis Puleiwai a letter asking her to delay any action against his client until after the visit to Fiji by the President of the World Bank. But what role did Richard Naidu play behind the scenes when his close friend, Wylie Clarke, arrived at FICAC, as part of the posse that “rescued” Barbara Malimali – in the COI’s words -and conveyed the message from the Chief Justice that any notion of charging Biman Prasad simply wasn’t on?
Grubsheet has posed a series of questions to both Richard Naidu and Wylie Clarke that they have declined to answer – to Richard Naidu in an open letter on October 1 2024, less than a month after the FICAC confrontation and to Wylie Clarke in an open letter on October 4 2024, three days later.
Undoubtedly some of the same questions will have been posed to them by the police if the reports are accurate that they have been summoned to the CID as part of the renewed investigation. And while we still don’t have answers, one thing is certain. Both Richard Naidu and Wylie Clarke are up to their armpits in “Barbara-gate”. It is only the level of their involvement that is still to be fully explained.
Yet even what we know from the COI Report gives Biman Prasad no reason to be unfazed. Here’s a potted summary of some of the references to him . And if you want more detail of what happened internally at FICAC in relation to the NFP leader’s case, there’s a great deal that you can click onto here in Chapter 6 of the COI Report.
At the same time, the police investigation continues, though the Police Commissioner, Rusiate Tudravu, has been tight-lipped about its progress since it was announced last month.
Trust the process? We have no reason not to trust the police investigation. In fact, Grubsheet understands that not only is Rusiate Tudravu acting with resolve but he has the full backing of the RFMF Commander, Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai, who pressured the government into releasing the COI Report – albeit in redacted form – and has reportedly told the Prime Minister that all of its recommendations should be adopted.
But can we trust the ODPP to deal properly with any police docket that is sent to it for a decision on whether to prosecute? The answer to that is a resounding “no”.
Why? Because this is what the COI has found in relation to the acting DPP, Nancy Tikoisuva, and the Deputy DPP, John Rabuku. And why some of those close to the investigation are urging the urgent removal of them and more importantly, the removal of the Chief Justice Salesi Temo. And the return of the substantive DPP, Christopher Pryde, to properly assess any police case.
This is why the ODPP must be purged – Nancy Tikoisuva and John Rabuku removed – because the record shows that they simply cannot be trusted to independently assess the results of any police investigation.
And above all, as Grubsheet has advocated repeatedly, their patron Salesi Temo must be removed as Chief Justice – someone the Commission of Inquiry finds is open to charges of abuse of office, perjury and obstructing and perverting the court of justice.
Only then can the Fijian people have any confidence that anyone will be brought to justice after the millions spent on the Ashton-Lewis inquiry. Or maybe that’s the point. For Biman Prasad to be so “unfazed” about the COI Report, maybe the decision has already been made to throttle the Supreme Court investigation altogether.
The failure of the Prime Minister and President to accede to the Opposition’s demands to suspend the Chief Justice certainly points to the disturbing prospect of no-one ever being brought to account. And if that turns out to be the case, Biman Prasad might be “unfazed” but the Fijian people have cause to be very fazed indeed.
It will mean that this government and this Prime Minister have forfeited their right to govern and must be removed. And the Party that Biman Prasad leads – the venerable NFP – must be consigned to the dustbin of history altogether.
Even if all the law enforcement authorities do their work properly, the hurdle as you rightly point out is the Office of the Public Prosecutor that is compromised. Further, Temo may allocate his people to preside over the case should it go past the DPP. Interestingly, it would be good to see what comes of Ms Puleiwai’s formal complaint that she has lodged recently against Temo.
All this while the Chiefs are having a good party (French revolution comes to mind) and whether broadly itaukei seem happy or not with the shindig is to be seen. Further, the president and parliament will partake in the party with the Tongan monarch’s visit this week. So attention will be diverted. Will there be sharing of information with the Tongan king and Queen on how to suppress calls for democracy or strengthening Lauan confederacy in Fiji’s political power?
All this happening after a week of junket in Australia. When is there any work done?
Manoa and Biman “ mirror, mirror on the wall, when will the COI saga end?
Mirror : Soon, DPMs
Manoa and Biman “ great but exactly when?
Mirror : when you both are sharing a prison cell together.
This is a compelling and incisive analysis by GD of both Biman Prasad and Manoa Kamkamica.
If Prime Minister Rabuka reads this— or if it’s brought to his attention— he should be deeply concerned. The presence of such individuals within his Cabinet who are allegedly pursuing personal agendas has rendered his government increasingly corrupt and directionless.
Concerning Biman Prasad, his dismissal of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) findings by citing clearance from Barbara Malimali is highly problematic. Malimali’s appointment as FICAC Commissioner was irregular, and her subsequent dismissal underscores the flawed basis of her authority. Any decisions she made during her irregular tenure—including the clearance of Biman and Lynda— must therefore be called into question.
The timing of events further raises serious concerns. Malimali was appointed on the very day Biman was due to be charged. Shortly thereafter, Biman was not charged amid the involvement of four legal actors—reportedly including the Chief Registrar and the Chief Justice—and soon after, Biman was cleared by Malimali.
This sequence of events does not inspire confidence. In fact, it suggests possible orchestration and collusion at the highest levels—potentially involving Rabuka, the Chief Justice, and even the President—to shield senior ministers from accountability. The COI report lends weight to this suspicion.
It is imperative that Christopher Pryde be reinstated as Director of Public Prosecutions, and that Chief Justice Temo be removed immediately to restore public confidence in the judicial process.
As for the current police investigation, there are valid concerns about its credibility. Are investigators genuinely committed to uncovering the truth, or are they simply going through the motions to produce a predetermined outcome?
Without structural changes within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions—and specifically the return of Pryde, doubts about the integrity of the process will persist.
As the COI report suggests, Malimali closed Biman Prasad’s case prematurely. Malimali did not even bother to investigate Biman for not fully declaring his assets and for withholding other details.
Instead she followed the bidding of her political masters, who engineered her unlawful appointment to save Biman and Josevata’s arse. In other words, Malimali did not follow due process. She followed her political masters’ directive.
A political appointee who made a political decision.
The citizens and taxpayers of this country demand justice. If this government cannot deliver it, the military must step in.
Baku Biman especially is a loose cannon who is wasting taxpayers money with abandon at an alarming rate. He must be stopped before he does further damage.
Don’t call Biman baku. That title and honour is solely Rabuka’s.
Rabuka the baku.
Everyone knows but not many say it.
However the Freudian slips are coming through thick and fast…because you cant hide the truth for too long.
At the weekend match between fiji and Australia the poor MC introduced the “the Prime Minister of fiji Sitiveni Rabaku”. I almost fell off my chair when I heard this. It was an apt slip.
Then just yesterday the matanivanua of the Tongan delegation in Lau for the tax payer wastage nonsensical coronation of roko ului mara as the tui nayau ( who looked utterly sheepish and embarrassed to be paraded wearing a silly hat that made him look like a duck head that he is) made yet another Freudian slip.
The tongan chap in his enthusiasm to say all the right things referred to our version of jo biden and donald trump ( jo-do ) rolled into one as “sitiveni rabaku..errr.. buka”…kaila!! This time around I did fall off my chair and rolled on the mat for a few minutes pissing myself laughing. I think so did the rest of “fisi”.
So please..the name baku is solely reserved for jo-do buka the baku thank you very much.