The assault on the independence of Fiji’s offices of state under the Coalition government poses a grave threat to our institutions and democracy itself. And regrettably that assault extends to someone who should know better – Vani Catanasiga, the Executive Director of the Fiji Council for Social Services who also happens to be a sitting member of the Judicial Services Commission, which presides over the criminal justice system.
In an extraordinary development, Vani Catanasiga has taken it upon herself to personally respond to an equally extraordinary letter to the JSC by the so called “citizen journalist and publisher”, Charlie Charters, in which he launches a withering attack on the FICAC Acting Commissioner, Lavi Rokoika.
Charlie Charters is way out of line – in blatant contempt of the courts – in attacking Rokoika as having “gone rogue” as he awaits trial on a charge of aiding an abetting a unnamed FICAC whistleblower. Anyone else who did so would have the book thrown at them. But Charlie clearly doesn’t see himself bound by the laws that apply to mere mortals.
He has friends in high places such as lawyers Richard Naidu and Wylie Clarke, the President of the Fiji Law Society. And he happens to be the trojan horse trying to destroy the reputation of FICAC under Lavi Rokoika as part of a conspiracy to restore Barbara Malimali as Commissioner and derail the FICAC prosecutions of the two sidelined deputy prime ministers – Manoa Kamikamica and Biman Prasad – arising from the Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry.
That campaign has got Charlie Charters into hot water himself – detained in dramatic fashion as he tried to leave Fiji two weekends ago and now before the courts awaiting trial. He was granted bail and is seeking a bail variation from Magistrate Shageeth Somaratne to enable him to travel overseas for work in a judgment that will be given in Suva at 10.30 this morning (Tuesday).
Last week, Charlie Charters released the contents of a letter that he had sent to the JSC complaining about Lavi Rokoika and FICAC which was clearly in contempt of the proceedings against him and was ignored by most mainstream media organisations in Fiji (and Grubsheet). Until yesterday, only Vijay Narayan at CFL-Fiji Village was willing to take the risk of being hauled before the courts but he has now been joined by the Internet news service, Fijilive, which as of this morning, is running it as its lead story.
Yet FijiLive goes further by not only reporting Charlie’s explosive letter to the JSC but carries a response from JSC member Vani Catanasiga which not only violates the laws of contempt but is an astonishing breach of all convention for someone who sits on arguably the most important office of state that dispenses justice.
Catanasiga not only undertakes to raise Charlie’s complaint as a matter of urgency but takes it upon herself to apologise to him for the way FICAC has treated him.
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This is outrageous conduct that clearly undermines the independence of the JSC and goes to the heart of the integrity of the nation’s institutions of state . What Vani Catanasiga has done is to portray Charlie Charters as a wronged party when he is facing criminal charges and is a blatant attempt to interfere with the judicial process. As such, the Magistrate has every reason to charge not only Charlie Charters but also Vani Catanasiga with contempt.
Clearly underpinning this conduct is a belief on the part of Charters and his supporters that Lavi Rokoika is fair game after Justice Dane Tuiqereqere ‘s contested ruling that her appointment as FICAC Acting Commission is unlawful. Yet while the JSC has since asked the President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, to remove her, he has yet to comply with that request.
That means Lavi Rokoika remains as FICAC head because the President is the lawful appointing authority. And for someone charged by FICAC with a criminal offence and awaiting trial to accuse her of “going rogue”is completely out of line. Even more so is a member of the Judicial Services Commission accepting the premise of that complaint without question and apologising to the complainant when these charges have yet to be heard in court.
It is a prima facie attempt to obstruct and pervert the course of justice, which arguably puts Vani Catanasiga in the same category as the head of the JSC – the Chief Justice Salesi Temo – who stands accused of the same thing by the Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry for conveying a message to the then FICAC deputy commissioner, Francis Puleiwai, that no charge she laid would be heard by any court in Fiji.
Sadly, the whole judicial system is being degraded under Salesi Temo – aided and abetted in this instance by Vani Catanasiga – which is a tragedy for the nation and one of the worst legacies of a government that is progressively trashing all of our supposedly independent institutions of state and must be removed at the earliest opportunity.
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And to think that Grubsheet once applauded Vani Catanasiga for her principled stand against the outrageous pay increases for the nation’s MPs and even suggested her as a future prime minister.
She has blotted her copybook in spectacular fashion.
UPDATE:
In the meantime, the Magistrate has ruled that Charlie Charters can travel overseas for work but must return to Fiji for the continuation of the proceedings against him at the end of the month.
Yet astonishingly, Charters continues to violate the laws of contempt by publicly canvassing issues at the heart of the prosecution against him that are sub judice.
As in the case of Vani Catanasiga, all respect for the rule of law and its conventions has gone out the window.
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Yes, one thing we can see is that Charlie Charters is a 24-carat slob.
It beggars belief that he can wander around Suva is such a disheveled state.
He looks like a tramp.
Is this how he would dress for a court appearance at home in England?
No? Then why dress like this for a court appearance in Fiji?
It is a sign of gross disrespect.
Just another example of how screwed up the judicial system system is in this country. It will never be fixed whilst there are people in positions of power and decision making that are related to each other. This alone compromises the decisions that they make and is the reason that people like Christopher Pryde are needed and that are qualified and in a position to provide impartial decisions in cases involving matters that are vital to upholding the rule of law.
Without overseas people being installed in these high profile positions there are always going to be decisions made that will be seen to be arrived at, not because they are correct and lawful, but because they extract family members from being prosecuted.
And results in turning inlaws into outlaws.
Ms.Vani was always seen as a person of wisdom, straight shooter and made balanced comments which is required of her because of her NGO and social standing. She is certainly compromised here with her comments in support of Charters.
Ms Vani lost all credibility when as a member of Richard NAIDU’s Fiscal Review Committee, she not only supported but was a strong public voice for raising VAT on essential items from 9% to 15% that demonstrably hurt the poor.
Then, to add insult to injury before the National sleep Fest, Biman’s National Economuc Summit, Vani was publicly praising a solution for Fiji by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), known the world over for its tough austerity policies imposed on poor third world countries.
Now this. The trouble with Ms Vani is her brains are somewhere else other than in her head. By breaking protocol as member of the JSC and publicly apologising to that idiot and perennial attention seeker, Charlie Charters she just destroyed what little credibility the JSC had left.
Ratu Naiqama must be smiling over his morning coffee saying, “I told you so. I did the right thing by ignoring that misguided JSC advice.”
Kama has acted, showing up the weak link in this whole sorry saga. Rabuka should just grow some balls and appeal Tuiqereqere’s judgment.
Can the magistrate Shageeth Somaratne make a fair decision against the wishes of Saleshni?
The is a golden opportunity for the CJ to discredit Rokoika.
I thought he makes all decisions even before the cases are heard in the Courts.
Hmm! I hope I am wrong.
Just thinking aloud.
This is iTaukei land under an iTaukei government. So all iTaukeis are entitled to make their own laws on their own land as they go. It is a god given entitlement. Just ask the Prez, the PM, CJ, those in the ODPP , AG, SG and others. Just always remember, iTaukei have entitlements in their own land. Which means others don’t.
Proof is in the pudding. All mighty people mentioned above have been making their own laws as they go.
Once upon a time we had respect for Vani as a voice of reason, balanced and candid on issues which affected communities and the people at large.
Unsurprisingly, over this period as she was rewarded by the Coalition accepting memberships of critical institutions, being asked to provide perspectives at important platforms etc she has clearly lost her independence and is increasingly compromised. We had also detected tinges of racism, camouflaged as part of her narrative of indigenous rights etc, which aligns with the agenda of the GCC and Rabuka. Have you ever heard her speak on the rights of the minorities in Fiji?
I am glad GD has highlighted her appalling lack of judgement in this case, which enables us to begin to scrutinise some of her genuine attributes.
She is now getting a feeling of entitlement and of course the common belief that, at the end of the day, as an i Taukei, she can get away with anything?
He looks gross.
It’s most likely that everyone wants to “star” and have something to say, to appear relevant and important, in any matter of public interest. Sometimes credible public interest is dubious but the limelight seekers don’t know when they should speak or not speak. And if what they have to say is credible…but granted there is freedom to speak and reveal your intellect and also any failings of self.
Any noise gets some attention. What to wear , what to say, when not to comment, etiquette – It’s all blowing in the wind out the window. And then we have the weather and ( highly paid) economics experts : it may rain or it could also be a sunny day tomorrow; the economy may pick up and then again it could go south. It’s become a dog’s breakfast.
That’s what happens when jobs are handed down on non meritorious grounds. In another country, someone like Vani wouldn’t make it past the secretary’s job.
Well that’s Fiji. All the dumbos are sitting in high flying jobs due to the coalition’s policies.
Message to the luve ni talatala from Lady Lyndah. Repent GD:
“You don’t have to blast someone on social media to get revenge. You don’t have to stoop to their level. You don’t have to prove what type of person they really are. Or throw insults. Or make them hurt the way they hurt you.
God will give them a front row seat to your winning season, and they will see that despite their best efforts to tear you down, you’re still standing.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” – Psalm 23:5
No need to seek revenge. One day, God’s going to make sure they watch.”
Love this sharing Lewa TK 🙏🏼
Remember, us coconuts roll together.
We know. Except when you don’t. The evidence for which is all around us.
The one silver lining in the black cloud that has descended on Fiji is that left to their own devices, the iTaukei are f**king up the country all on their own.
There is no-one else left to blame.
The vanua will save us and we will live off the land.
Romanticised BS.
The experts tell us that most iTaukei are now existing on processed food, much of it imported. You also need imported fuel to power what buses, trucks, cars and outboard motors you have and the cost of that is about to go through the roof.
The chiefs now soak up the lease money you used to get and have no answers to the challenges of the vanua other than to call another talanoa session or prayer meeting. Your seas are being over-fished and the land is being degraded. And climate change means that the next extreme weather event is just around the corner.
Fiji is already a beggar nation dependent on foreign aid and remittances with a declining population and a shrinking tax base. And on top of that, the social order is disintegrating under the influence of provincial rivalries, drugs and personal greed.
So good luck with that.
I think Daniel is saying thngs in jest, GD.
One thing is undisputed, Fiji is being run by a bunch of coconuts.
They are all bad, stinking and smelly coconuts no doubt.
And the amazing thing is, a large proportion of Fijians like it exactly like that, many Indians included.
It must not be in the water but all the bad coconut oil that they use.
Yes, my apologies if I didn’t get the joke. It’s just that so many iTaukei are saying or at least thinking the same thing and they need to be jolted out of their delusion.
They mostly don’t do irony so it’s not a joke to them. And it is an attitude that threatens to propel them back to the 18th century, assuming they even survive their present complacency in an increasingly hostile world.
On song there GD, exactly where it’s headed.
One could only add corruption is rife and accountability is zero within the system- Daniel understand any of that ?!
I guess Rabuka will just play card the game between China vs Aust & NZ, like a prostitute under the ivi tree !
Is it reversible, nah, ‘over cultured’ ie too many grog sessions & sing song @ church as you say.
It’s quite apparent from the judicial circus show we’ve all been watching for the past few weeks that the governance of the judiciary should not be left to the locals.
The actions of people all the way from the thug CJ to the alcoholic CR clearly lead to the conclusion that if the judiciary in Fiji is to be truly independent, it needs to be managed by independent individuals; these preferably recruited outside of Fiji who have no friends or families in Fiji.
The battles going on in Fiji’s judiciary all the way to the pedophile president’s office are all based on someone either being a family member or a friend who is being protected or fired.
Just like you have TV shows such as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, they should make one called The Real iTaukei Thugs of the Fijian Judiciary. I reckon it would be incredibly popular as the Fijians get to see their CJ rampage and swear in his office then try to punch the lights out of the janitor.
Never work, Temo would never have them record anything that made him look bad………………. oh, wait, he already did that.
Whatever the laws, rules, alliances, institutions or politicians you have, it will always be the Fijian character to act in such manner that nothing but a coup can reset the ‘factory setting’…till we devolve or rather intellectually and economically implode.
As a practicing lawyer in Fiji I’m always shocked at our journalists’ poor grasp of sub judice, defamation and other laws. Isn’t it part of their training?
I’m equally appalled at Vani. Is she qualified for the position? Clearly she does not understand even the very basic principles. How did she get appointed? Is she also part of the kilavata squad? There can be no other explanation.
Yes, and of course the judiciary only goes after the likes of Rajen Chaudhry and Aman Ravindra Singh when it charges them with contempt.
If you are inside the tent like Charlie Charters – who assisted the Chief Justice to file a police complaint against Justice David Ashton-Lewis – you are a protected species and can say whatever you like.
The law in Fiji has become a total ass under these jokers.
It also helps if you are an iTaukei and not a vulagi to be taken to task with some trumped up charges. iTaukeis are now free to make up their own laws as they go, simply because they are entitled to in their own country.
I am not saying this, just ask the Prez, the PM, the AG, the SG and others in the ODPP. There is no more vulagi government. This is an iTaukei government now and there is culture and tradition to apply to everything. The iTaukei have the best culture and tradition and now they are even more important that they have realised they are Israelites.
So just like they agree with Israelis committing genocide against the Palestinians, so can they kick the vulagis out of Fiji. Their culture and traditions are very close to the Israeli people. That is what Pastor Atu tells us on TV. I have to find out where the Israelis were eating each other about 150 years ago.
Apartheid and inequality comes naturally to Israelites. It is their God-given right, because they are special. I mean they are God’s chosen people and iTaukeis are good at pretending to be just as special. I think it may be written in the bible. If not then there is no law from preventing you to pretend that it is written in the bible.
When the legality of the leadership of the country’s anti-corruption agency is in question, the system cannot simply drift.
At some point leadership must step in.
The Prime Minister was elected to lead a government that promised transparency and good governance. When institutions stall and recommendations from constitutional bodies sit unresolved, continued silence from the country’s political leadership raises its own questions.
In leadership, inaction also sends a message.
The question now is whether the Prime Minister still intends to lead the country — or whether he should step down. Because if silence continues to replace leadership, Fiji may already have its answer.
The relevant indigenous entity has or will create an itaukei Wealth Fund to benefit the indigenous. This led to much anticipation and excitement. However the bad news is that for all who want to get their hands on the funds, ie easy money, the fund has to be contributed into to fill up the coffers in the first place to enable fund growth and future disbursement.
The creation of a Wealth Fund Account does not mean it is magically filled with $$$$ for everyone to partake of the funds in a free for all. But as a 1980s NBF sequel it would be a dream come true.