Ever since he was suspended in early 2023 for consorting with Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum at a Japanese Embassy function, there has been a determined effort to keep Christopher Pryde from completing his term as DPP, which expires next March.
The corrupt Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, waited for almost a year before fulfilling his constitutional duty to appoint a tribunal of judges to try Christopher Pryde for alleged misbehaviour.
For eight months, Temo unlawfully cut off Pryde’s salary, robbing him of the ability to defend himself. But when that tribunal was finally convened, it was Temo who gave evidence that Pryde was the thief, accusing him of stealing superannuation payments to which he wasn’t entitled.
The attempt to besmirch Pryde’s name failed. He was exonerated by three High Court judges led by Justice Anare Tuilevuka. Yet no sooner was the DPP reinstated than Salesi Temo struck again, using recycled evidence from the file that the judges had rejected to make fresh accusations of financial misconduct through Nancy Tikoisuva, the woman he installed as Acting DPP to thwart Pryde’s return.
Those allegations have also gone to FICAC, with Salesi Temo again defying the Constitution by saying he will not be making a decision whether to set up a second tribunal to try Pryde for misbehaviour until FICAC makes its decision whether to prosecute. Which is where the matter has rested until the Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka – inconveniently forTemo – asked yesterday: “Where is Christopher Pryde and why, having been exonerated last December and reinstated , hasn’t he returned to Suva?
That question was already answered back in April when Christopher Pryde issued a statement saying he was waiting for Temo and the Judicial Services Commission to make a decision on his fate. But he has issued a second statement today addressing all the issues again, though with a sensational twist.
The DPP alleges that he is being deliberately kept away from Fiji to thwart him from making any decision on the police investigations into those who have received adverse findings in the Report by the Ashton Lewis Commission of Inquiry. Including – incredibly -Justice Temo himself.
QUOTE: “Having read the report of the Commission of Inquiry (the Report) into the circumstances surrounding recent decisions made by the JSC, I remain extremely concerned that investigations by the police will be forwarded to the ODPP and examined by the acting DPP, Nancy Tikoisuva and her deputy, John Rabuku. Both these people are subject to adverse findings in the Report and both clearly have conflicts of interest.
I can only speculate that the reason for the unconscionable delay in making any decision on my matter is a deliberate ploy to ensure that I remain outside Fiji and am unable to make any decisions on the results of police investigations stemming from the Report” UNQUOTE
But a deliberate ploy on the part of whom? All fingers point to Salesi Temo – the Crocodile in Chief – who we know is the subject of a police investigation for allegedly obstructing and perverting the course of justice. How? By telling Francis Puleiwai through the Chief Registrar, Tomasi Bainivalu, that no charges she laid as assistant FICAC Commissioner, including against Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad, would be heard by any court in Fiji.
Here’s the extract on the Chief Justice from Chapter 7 of the COI Report – a secret section entitled “Possible Offences” that still hasn’t been published in Fiji.
As we know, Justice Ashton Lewis recommended that consideration be given be Salesi Temo being removed as Chief Justice.
Why hasn’t it already happened? That is the burning question of the moment in Fiji.
We know that the Prime Minister – who has said that the CJ’s suspension in still on the table – is getting resistance from the President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, who is related to Temo by marriage. But Christopher Pryde’s statement today specifically referring to a conspiracy to subvert the police prosecutions arising from the COI Report takes this crisis to a new level.
Justice Temo must go and go now for there to be any public confidence in the rule of law in Fiji. And so must his stooges, Nancy Tikoisuva and John Rabuku, at the ODPP, whose reputations are also shredded in the COI Report.
Question: How can Salesi Temo keep Christopher Pryde out and Nancy Tikoisuva and John Rabuku in given what the COI has said about them? Answer: Because until he is suspended, he can. But it is conflict of interest on an industrial scale.
As speculation rages as to how long this absurd impasse will be allowed to go on, one thing is certain. The Chief Justice doesn’t want the substantive DPP, Christopher Pryde, to make the call on any of the current police cases when they are finalised, including his own.
This is corruption on an industrial scale and justice demands that Salesi Temo is immediately removed from the position of head of the judiciary.
He must be suspended as the COI has recommended and another judge installed as chief justice. And Christopher Pryde must return to Gunu House to handle the police files that Temo wants his stooges, Tikoisuva and Rabuku, to handle but which must not be allowed to happen. Or the law really is an ass in Fiji.
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First Christopher Pryde’s statement of today:
Next his statement back in April, which he again circulated to the media today:
And finally media coverage this afternoon of the above:
From the Fiji TImes, which continues its corruption of the news by excising Pryde’s comments about Nancy Tikoisuva and John Rabuku…
From CFL- Fiji Village…
And FBC…
Chief Crocodile…lol
How many more times does JSC need to screw up before Temo resigns?
I had hoped that the new broom at ficac would sweep a lot cleaner and faster than the old one regarding a decision on Christopher Pryde as a matter of urgency. What is going on there ?
Christopher Pryde helped convict Laisenia Qarase in those trumped-up charges engineered by the evil regime of Khaiyum and Bainimarama.
Qarase spent several years in prison as a political prisoner with the active connivance of Christopher Pryde. There were others unfairly charged and convicted under CP as DPP.
We do not need him back in Fiji.
He is still drawing full pay whilst doing nothing these last six months!!! Sitting back milking the system. Why ?
Does he have a conscience?
Lets clear out all the useless debris including the current crop mentiond in the COI.
The first step in the ‘Clean Out’ process is to engage Justice Ashton Lewis as CJ for a three-year term, and take it from there.
Come on Fiji. Lets stop stuffing around and get on with it. Toso Viti
“Uluiqalau”, you will find if you look that Laisenia Qarase was prosecuted by FICAC in 2010, well before Christopher Pryde became DPP in late 2011.
So what you are saying here is just plain wrong. Yes, factually incorrect. And even it was correct, the DPP doesn’t convict, a judge does. And a judge only convicts if the evidence is proved beyond reasonable doubt.
Qarase wasn’t convicted of a political offence. It was a corruption offence when he was a director of a number of government entities and companies in which he engaged in wrongdoing going back to the 1990s, even before he went into politics.
So the entire premise of your comment is wrong. Please get your facts right or next time I will spare myself the trouble of patiently explaining what happened and reject your comment on the basis that it is rooted in a falsehood.
You are clearly politically motivated in twisting the facts of what happened to show Qarase in a favourable light and to slander Christopher Pryde. And that is very disappointing when I can wholeheartedly agree with your final premise that Justice David Ashton-Lewis should be made CJ to drain the swamp that the criminal justice system has become.
I have it on good authority that one of the key people behind the coup against Pryde is Biman.
Yes, the same Biman whom Pryde saved from the sexual harassment case brought against him by Ari Taniguchi whom he hugged and kissed against her wishes.
What a disgusting bastard.
The woman was the wife of former NFP provisional candidate Hiroshi Taniguchi. Biman’s actions were the highest form of disrespect, betrayal and disloyalty.
If he preyed on his own party candidate’s wife, how can you expect him to stand up for Pryde?
He is a human being of the lowest order – a chamar.
Imagine this piece of shit is the deputy Prime Minister of a country.
Here are the details of his sordid sexual harassment case in which the Taniguchi’s were denied justice:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-28/biman-prasad-charged-for-hugging-kissing-cheek-before-election/101583190
Biman Prasad and Ganesh Chand have a history of inappropriate sexual behaviour dating back to their USP days. That they continue to prey free during these day’s of the Me Too movement is testament to the culture of silence. If these girls and women had come forward then Pryde might have made a different judgement on Baimaan and his office diddling. And we all would breathe easier with the sleazebag behind bars.
On a related matter, Nirmal Singh’s take on the Town Hall meetings organised by the fat cats of the Fiji media sucking off the teats of the US Embassy in Fiji:
“Cmon, I need to take things easy too. Past two days people have been bugging me for my views on media and Americans sponsoring this partisan townhall meetings and American Embassy meeting all the cost of logistical support. My good friend from Rava has already been snubbing me since I last wrote about their infamous trip to the United States sponsored by Americans. Now I find out another media executive has family links to Rava through his wife and he is like my younger brother. But I have always been very upfront when it comes to ethical issues. Even newsroom staff share their delimma with me. So let me take things in lighter note. First let me talk about American Embassy getting themselves involved in what we can describe as their indulgence in Fiji’s internal politics. You know American foreign policy has changed a lot since Trump became the president. You would recall, Secretary of State, Rubio has told the American diplomats to act like Trump. So you won’t be surprised if the US Ambassador here besides acting like Trump starts talking like him. Like “You know Rabuka is a great guy. He is a great guy! He is a friend. Rabuka supported the US national interest since 1987 and he should be elected in 2026. Chaudhry is evil and we won’t support him. Don’t vote for him.” That’s the reality of the current US foreign policy under Trump. As far as media is concerned. The dynamics of media in Fiji has changed. Social media has taken over main stream media. Their advertising revenue has plummeted. So government recently gave them millions of dollars for public service broadcasting so they have to be seen to be organizing these events to justify the financial contributions from the government. Public service broadcasting is nothing but running a propaganda for the government. The townhall meeting is nothing but a government propaganda. Remember the US Government took editors to the United States for training. It was not training but indulging the media editors by spoiling them with food, trips and entertainment to influence editorial content. Remember how editors were showing themselves off in private planes, food and five star hotels. We can see thier investments giving them returns now. Some media won’t survive until the government puts them on financial drips. So it’s in the interest of media to ensure this government returns to power to keep financing them. Really it’s a shame when veteran and senior journalist don’t know that they are the fourth estate and even a perception of their bias is damaging to our democracy. And you know, nearly all media editors who went for US Government sponsored trip were in full force there. Who paid for their travel, accomodation and per diem.? Definitely the US Government. DAKU Resort is not cheap.
Our only way forward is to empower social meida and empower our people through it. Fiji’s media has compromised our democracy and our future.
It is unacceptable that the United States Embassy and media are ganging up in promoting this government by sponsoring these events. They have been sold out and now the US Government is using media to promote their own national interest at the expense of the interest of our people and our democracy. The United and the media have lost their conscience and morality.
The United States is protecting a government that serves their national interest at expense of the interest of the people of Fiji.
The United States can no longer be becon of hope for our democracy. They are the vultures who would feed on the vulnerability of our country to serve their national interest. Mind you the United States is pulling lot of strings here behind the scenes to achieve their foreign policy objectives. So sad especially when we see veteran journalists turning into pawns to a foreign interest and undermining our sovereignty.”
Pryde’s failed in his capacity as DPP to bring locals to Assistant DPP level during his rein. There were many capable ones trained to go into leadership whilst he was at the helm for over 10 years but this did not happen as locals were restricted to go beyond Principal Legal Officer’s rank to Assistant DPP level.
Sadly those capable ones left ODPP due to no promotions and then the clowns entered the ring and are now running the show.
Another factual error. One of Christopher Pryde’s assistant DPPs was the late Mosese Korovou, who died in 2019. Pryde gave the eulogy at Korovou’s funeral. So your claim is just plain wrong.
Incidentally, we are now seeing absolute proof of the wisdom of not promoting certain locals in the woeful performance of Nancy Tikoisuva, John Rabuku and Laisani Tabuakoro.
As an attendee at the “Town hall meeting” (a term borrowed from the USA) in a small seaside town that lacks a town hall (and also lacks a sewerage system, waste management, reliable water and electricity supply, maintenance of roads, equipment and medicine in the hospital etc.), I can report that the propaganda event did not quite go as planned.
The event clearly revealed the long-standing neglect of communities outside of Viti Levu and the incompetence of the current government and government agencies in addressing issues plaguing the town for years. Answers could not be provided to many questions including why citizens have to buy saline solution and blood pressure medicine because the hospital regularly runs out of supplies; why repairs to roads wash away as soon as it rains heavily; why illegal taxis and black market in alcohol takes place openly; and much, much more.
At least, some well paid public servants had to face public questioning – possibly for the first time ever.