Once again, Salesi Temo has deferred his verdict in the trial of Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Mohammed Saneem five months after the hearing ended.
He now says he will deliver the verdict on May 14 because he “needs more time” – the second occasion he has given the same excuse, having said precisely the same thing on February 2nd.
This has become a sick joke. The Chief Justice is making a mockery of the judicial system and it is high time for him to be brought to account. The President – acting on the advice of the Prime Minister – must remove Salesi Temo immediately, even if it means a fresh trial for Sayed-Khaiyum and Saneem.
Temo is merely adding to the suspicion that he is delaying his verdict because he is holding the President and Prime Minister over a barrel.
How? Because we know from an impeccable source in the criminal justice system that the Chief Justice threatened to acquit the pair if the Prime Minister went ahead with his appeal against the ruling by Justice Dane Tuiqereqere that Sitiveni Rabuka did not have the authority to remove the FICAC Commissioner, Barbara Malimali.
This is outrageous in itself – a Chief Justice allegedly holding the principal officers of state to ransom after the Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry accused him of perjury and perverting and obstructing the course of justice.
The reported threat didn’t work. The Prime Minister is going ahead with his appeal against the Tuiqereqere ruling regardless. Is this Temo’s response? To again throw a spanner in the works in an act of petulance because he didn’t get his way? That’s certainly what it looks like to any reasonable outsider.
This simply cannot go on because the entire credibility of the state is being eroded by Salesi Temo’s unconscionable conduct.
The Prime Minister must act now. The President must act now. Or they are also leaving themselves open to the same charge of making a mockery of the judiciary and undermining public confidence in both the criminal justice system and the integrity of the state.
On a human level, the conduct of the Chief Justice towards Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Mohammed Saneem is disgusting in the eyes of any right-thinking Fijian. To leave them and their families in a semi-permanent state of anxiety is cruel in the extreme. Imagine the pain their young children have been put through? Nothing can excuse such conduct.
To think that we have sunk to such a level in Fiji that one man can inflict so much damage on the credibility of our institutions. Salesi Temo deserves to pay for it with his job – to be suspended and put before a tribunal of three judges on charges of misbehaviour. And if necessary, face criminal proceedings as well.
And if the Prime Minister and President won’t act, they too are party to that misbehaviour and must pay for their own neglect of their duty to the Fijian people to upheld the integrity of the nation’s institutions.
Has there ever been a more grave instance of justice delayed being justice denied? A situation that beggars belief and is a stain not only on the criminal justice system but on the reputation of the nation itself.
Why 14 May? The day Rabuka carried out the 1987 coup!
Yes, is this a dig at Rabuka? Nothing would surprise me with this oaf. Totally corrupt.
The decision of CJ Temo is astonishing, and the comments of GD are totally correct!
This poor excuse of a CJ needs to be removed. His actions in this case are just a further example of his competence or more likely his incompetence.
His actions as CJ have been challenged in the Supreme Court, a tribunal and a Commission of inquiry. All of whom have found him or his decisions wanting. This started when he replaced the then suspended DPP with a person who was found, once challenged to be not qualified, then we have the appointment of Malimali as FICAC Commissioner when she clearly was not qualified and should never have been recommended to the President in the first place.
As for the PM and President they were the ones who created him by making him the acting CJ and the President then confirmed the CJ appointment. So, neither can blame others for the position they and the Fiji justice system now find themselves in!
The defendants Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Mohammed Saneem and their legal counsel must be already writing the appeal application!
The legal maxim “Justice delayed is Justice denied” is well and truly in play!
Indeed! When corrupt leaders put like minded people in high places, they eventually come head to head with another version of themselves, and have no right of complaint.
Fiji the way the world should be-se vacava Noodles?
Timeliness in decision-making is a core performance indicator of any public office, especially one as critical as the Chief Justice. Prolonged delays in resolving matters of national importance are not neutral — they signal institutional weakness, erosion of procedural integrity, and declining public confidence.
What we are witnessing is not an isolated delay but part of a broader pattern where critical issues remain unresolved for extended periods, despite their gravity and implications for governance.
In public administration, accountability operates on two levels:
1. Individual accountability — whether the office holder is performing to the standard required.
2. System accountability — whether the government is enabling or tolerating underperformance.
On both fronts, there are serious concerns.
If the Chief Justice is unable to discharge the fundamental duty of acting efficiently, decisively, and with institutional clarity, then this raises legitimate questions about competence. At the same time, the continued tolerance of this standard reflects a failure of executive oversight, where government has allowed this situation to persist without corrective action.
Public office is not an entitlement — it is a performance-based trust.
Accordingly, if the Chief Justice cannot meet the basic expectations of the role, particularly in delivering timely and credible judicial outcomes, then the appropriate course is clear:
he should step aside, or be removed through the proper constitutional processes.
Anything less risks normalising delay, weakening accountability, and further eroding public trust in one of the most critical institutions of the state.
Can public office holders—including the Prime Minister—get serious about the business of running government?
Vinaka TalanoaGPT
Off topic, but it took a war, shortage of fuel, and rising costs for our dumbf*ck PM to decide reduce his overseas trips.
So it wasn’t that he is concerned about the level of national debt, or the poverty rate, or the cost of living in Fiji, or the poor fiscal management policies implemented by a bigger and corrupt dumbf*ck Richard Naidu that prompted our royal highass to cut down on his trips.
It took a war for this dumb ass to do this when in fact he should have had this on his list when he came to power almost 4 years ago.
Perhaps it’s also an opportune time to take those salary cuts.
Incompetence is a given when it come to every member of this government and the judiciary and other arms of government. It goes without saying.
But what we vulagi will never undertand is that the iTaukei way of doing things is different. They are proud to be incompetent and stupid and that is something the vulagi will never be able to undertsand. Being incompetent has a strong cultural and traditional significance and is an essential characteristic to maintain iTaukei heritage. So what the vulagi say and think is not important. Because this is Fiji and the iTaukei traditions apply. It’s that simple.
Graham, time to get your head out of Charlie Charter’s and Salesi Temo’s arses. Yes, I know they have big arses but there are bigger issues out there. None Bigger than the Vuda- Saweni incinerator dispute. Fiji needs your incisive analysis. You have spent too much time inside Charlie and Salesi’s burrows. Time to pull your head out! (This is deliberate rage baiting on my part, All in good humor 😅and in anticipation of your response, which will be gold, of course. We are very much aware and appreciative of your services to Fiji, of course).
Charlie Charters has assisted Salesi Temo in their joint attempt to derail the Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry into the Malimali affair. That Commission accused the Chief Justice of perjury and perverting and obstructing the course of justice.
There are NOT bigger issues out there because this goes to the heart of the integrity of the criminal justice system in Fiji. And I will definitely not be pulling my head out of that particular burrow, as you term it.
I agree that the Vuda-Saweni incinerator “dispute” is a major story. I have been made aware of certain details which, if true, constitute a prima facie case of corruption. All in good time.
I am about to suspend Grubsheet for an indefinite period as I recover from surgery and a ban on using a keyboard until that surgery has healed. But rest assured that if there is evidence of wrongdoing, I will be pursing it with the same zeal I have displayed digging into existing burrows and certainly all the way to election day.
The evidence is that this government is crooked and must be brought to account. Rest assured that I will not be remaining silent while Fiji is used as a dumping ground for other people’s waste. And as certain locals allegedly benefit financially from the rape of our environment.
I used to swim at Saweni Beach as a child and assure you that I have every motive to pursue this story. Again, all in good time. Thanks for raising the issue with me.
You are God’s gift to to Fiji and I say that with all sincerity. And I know many people in Fiji agree with me.
Greatly relieved to hear that the Vuda-Saweni incinerator “dispute is in your sights. Lynda Tabuya is apparently armpits deep into this business deal. Nobody can bring attention to this apparent scam like you can.
Certainly not the imbecilic Fiji media.
In the meantime, best wishes for the surgery and speedy recovery!
I agree. Why is GD alone in highlighting this travesty of justice in Fiji. Where are the academics, legal experts and commentators in Fiji? Once again…the place has gone to the dogs!
Temp’s conduct and bias in this case are grounds for appeal in itself. He had expressed openly about what his opinions on the taxes paid for Saneem were to him, and therefore the case should have been heard by someone else. He should have recused himself.
Temo is taking these cases to his court intentionally and now it’s a matter of persecution rather than prosecution. Exactly the same for Frank’s case that was appealed and landed in his court.
The ODPP is clueless and can’t win fair and square, and their legal aptitude or lack thereof has been clearly exposed in the Neil Sharma case. In this instance, it’s the government’s close confidant and advisor Wylie Clark representing Neil Sharma.
Such cases would never have seen the light of day under an actual DPP like Christopher Pryde. Persecution wouldn’t have fared while he was in charge.
Unfortunately it is what it is. We have slumbered and succumbed to Vanua politics and headed into a Zimbabwe at the speed of light. That’s what Rabuka is best at doing.
A good defense counsel will ensure that his clients case remain in magistrates court.
However in this case Davenesh Sharma was show boating in magistrates court with dubious applications to delay the matter.
Milking money should not be the objective from clients. By now this case in magistrate court could have well ended perhaps.
In my experience, the estimable Devanesh Sharma is not in the business of “milking money from his clients”. He offered to assist me to defend myself against Richard Naidu’s threat of a defamation suit and I have no money at all. Or certainly not enough to afford a lawyer.