Reports reaching Grubsheet say that the lawyer for the Fiji Times, Richard “I have the means and make mine Fiji Water” Naidu, has been given a hard time by Justice David Ashton Lewis at the Malimali Commission of Inquiry over the paper’s disgraceful front page attack yesterday on the Counsel Assisting, Janet Mason.
Richard Naidu was summoned to the court complex in Veiuto to explain his client’s conduct. And while we can’t report anything of what was actually said because of the secrecy provisions surrounding the proceedings, let’s just say that Richard Naidu’s usual swagger and supercilious grin were noticeably absent.
It’s certainly fair to say that His Lordship the Judge was decidedly less than amused by the story on Janet Mason’s alleged business travails in New Zealand that had nothing to do with the COI in Fiji and was clearly designed to damage the authority of the Commission as it tries to secure the suspension of Barbara Malimali as FICAC Commissioner for firing one of its witnesses.
The Judge evidently told Richard Naidu that he wanted to question the author of the story, Cheerieann Wilson, and the Editor of the Fiji Times, Fred Wesley. And when Naidu demurred, he was reportedly told to produce them or bench warrants would be issued for their arrest. According to our informant, they duly appeared later in the day.
Again, we can’t report what was said. But at the end of it all, Richie Rich, Cheerieann and Fred traipsed back to Munro Leys and the Butt Street newsroom to pen the following whatever it is.
They’re calling it a “retraction and apology” but only for wrongly identifying Janet Mason as a Commissioner when she is Counsel Assisting the Inquiry, not for bringing the Commission into disrepute. We’re calling it having to eat one sh*t sandwich, with potentially more sh*t sandwiches to come.
Oops. It doesn’t get more prominent than this: But “inconvenience”? Is that all it is when a media outlet tries to discredit a judicial inquiry?
Incredibly, that’s all there is in the entire newspaper about the Commission of Inquiry – three paragraphs of “retraction and apology”. Again, nothing about the standoff between the Commission and the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, as Temo continues to refuse to suspend Barbara Malimali as FICAC Commissioner. Nothing.
And this is Fiji’s “first draft of history”, the nation’s self-proclaimed newspaper of record since 1869? It is an absolute scandal and as Grubsheet said yesterday, the Fiji Times owners, the Motibhai Patels of Ba, are unfit to preside over the paper and must be stripped of it by a new government in the national interest.
You have to go to the Fiji Sun to find anything of substance on the COI, including Janet Mason’s reaction to the hatchet job the Fiji Times did on her yesterday.
Nothing from the Fiji Times either that the Commission is getting an independent opinion from a foreign Kings Counsel to support its argument that despite his denials, the Chief Justice has the power to suspend Barbara Malimali while the police investigate her for allegedly violating the Crimes Act by sacking her chief investigator, Kuliasi Saumi.
Having started out in a jovial mood at the commencement of the Inquiry, Justice Ashton-Lewis’s demeanour has undergone a dramatic change
From this…
To this…
His is clearly not in a mood to be trifled with as the standoff continues between the COI and the Chief Justice over Salesi Temo’s refusal to suspend Barbara Malimali.
As well as the conduct of his client, the Fiji Times, Richard Naidu’s wider role in the Barbara Malimali saga is also reported to be under scrutiny.
NOTE:
Some comments are either being disallowed or amended for legal reasons. My regrets.
Looks like Justice Ashton-Lewis has come to appreciate the true meaning of WTF
Welcome to Fiji
Poor Judge!
That first picture introduces him to the Bula spirit. You can just “hear it in his smile!”
That second one, looks like he’s just about had enough of this whole lot.
(Get me the bloody hell outta here!)
The days I longed to see. I mean the truth that will come out from this COI and the long line of so called Fijian celebrities eating their own dirt.
It is interesting who Naidu represents legally and his role in the government of the day as an economic advisor. Just madness.
There is so much wrong in this country and a need for real change.
This lot will do anything in their power to stay relevant. Everyday they set the bar higher for their own interests. They bring shame to the country.
With Naidu, it is not hard not to see right through this case and how it all links to Biman too.
Rabuka is praying for the country in USA. Glad that USAID has come to a halt now so the beggar from Fiji can be told to return home with nothing. Because we are done with all this aid and begging and getting nowhere. Back to 1987 it is.
Wilson, Fred, and Naidu knew exactly what they are doing. There is constant speculation on Mason. They should all be charged. Mason should put a defamation suit on the Fiji Times.
I can so see why Aston-Lewis didn’t want Fiji’s media at this inquiry. Simply because these people are such idiots. Stanley spilling the news about Mason on his personal Facebook page like no others have.
They have taken the law and the country for a ride. Time to taste their own making.
Finally some common sense drilled into this idiots.
Sorry I am confused. You are in a state of high anxiety because The Fiji Times allegedly tried to ‘discredit a judicial inquiry’?
But you had no issue with participating in the attempt to discredit or undermine the Tuilevuka Tribunal, actions the Tribunal concluded were obviously in coordination with Christopher Pryde, and which the tribunal referred to as ‘disrespectful and contemptuous’ and which ‘appear to scandalize the Tribunal and undermine public confidence in it’.
I am thinking maybe all of you need to go back and retake Journalism 101.
I say, chaps. Was that a whiff of petrol in the air as the Sage of Barton-le-Willows stirs from his pint of Old Peculier to dispense lessons on journalism 101?
Where in the Christopher Pryde decision is there any reference to me “discrediting or undermining the Tuilevuka Tribunal, let alone any “conclusion” that is was “obviously in coordination with Christopher Pryde”?
It doesn’t exist. You have made it up, Charlie. A concoction. A fiction. Just like your two novels.
From Grubsheet Dec 18: “The High Court judge, Justice Anare Tuilevuka, enjoys a reputation for competence and integrity that has long marked him out as an exceptional appointment to the bench”.
Sound disrespectful or contemptuous to you?
The Fiji Times is the client of the over-rated Richard Naidu’s law firm Munro Leys, and it is usually him who vets the newspaper stories for the next day, so he would’ve seen the article and cleared it, which shows what a mediocre lawyer he is. All flash and no substance.
Of course this preening peacock has a major conflict of interest in this case. He is trying his best to save Betrayer Baiman’s skin. After all it was Baiman who granted Munro Leys’ client Fiji Water that infamous tax break. These two bastards championed accountability and good governance, and accused Fiji First of corruption to get votes, but turned out to be worse. The very sight of them is enough to make one puke in disgust.
Jone Salusalu of Fiji Sun seems to be the only real opposition we have in Fiji to all of this.
Meanwhile Rabuka is praying in America for Trumps breakfast furthersd he can get away from the Malimali s**T show.. An incompetent and cowardly PM of Fiji….
The newspaper should be compelled to print another corrective apology – for this half hearted apology and for not addressing the substantive matter of their ‘misbehaviour’. It’s the height of arrogance and contempt that this was all the newspaper said in apology for their campaign against J Mason, attempts to discredit the Commission and pervert the due process underway.
Why doesn’t someone ask in parliament why Fiji Water, a very profitable multi million dollar industry, was given a tax break ?
The painstaking effort to derail a fair COI compounded by unruly behavior (s) of the Fiji Times and supposedly officers and offices who are supposed to be independent of politics and of unquestionable integrity is not only extraordinary but criminal.
That incriminating article by the reporter C.Wilson could very well land the paper in court and the journalist herself could be held personally liable for professional misconduct and trying to hatch a smear campaign through defamation. This journalist went from the office of the Prime Minister to the Fiji Times? Rumour also has it she is married to one of the recently appointed Permanent Secretaries in the coalition government too … coincidences… Hmmm … Or personal favours and insider trading ?
This COI into the appointment of the Commissioner of FICAC which we thought would be very straightforward inquiry .. has turned out into a public spectacle of the Fijian Government being caught with its hands in the cookie jar and trying to circumvent processes and create smoke screens and diversions to save its own backside!
The whole COI appears to have blown up in the Government’s own face and if they thought this COI was going to be like everything else they do – that is it is engineered to create a perception of fairness but in reality protect the rot and political favours they have created for themselves …. It would appear they chose the wrong independent team to lead the COI and for many of us it’s a relief to see the the amateurs fixated on keeping power and using it for their own agenda (namely the coalition government) fumble and stumble over their own incompetence, lack of common sense and lies.
In a previous comment I had mentioned we can anticipate the biggest take down of public officials and office in this history of the Pacific with this COI finding …
And now I am beginning to wonder, Lord forbid it happening .. if the alternative of that , is that we may witness the biggest cover up in modern day times of public corruption.
And let’s say the findings of the COI are hidden away from us the taxpayers who continue to fund these elaborate exercises by government … one day maybe not today but definitely one day in the not so distant future – the culprits of the mess we are in WILL BE in jail discussing their sins.
It appears this Coalition government is hell bent on deliberately applying rules to one section of Fiji and another set of rules to its handpicked few , while intentionally engineering facades like Commissions of enquiry and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to whitewash and pay lip service to us its citizens that its house is in order.
The more I look at this maneuvering happening by these shadows ( I choose the word shadows because we don’t know who they are and their formal roles in this government) , the more familiar it looks and feels to the military coups of the past . Where we the everyday Fijian people feel and witness the repercussions in real time but the shadowy figures prance around in the dark unnamed and unaccountable for their actions.
And the fact it would happen under the leadership of a Prime Minister who is a former / retired military leader ? Who has also conveniently decided now is the time for him to use taxpayers money and political pawns to carry out a truth and reconciliation commission ?
Is this not all abuse of power for political power engineering ? To create smoke screens of truth or preferred narratives of truth to exonerate a handful of shady men and women from facing the full extent of the law like normal criminals are in normal democracies ?
Who knows ?
This whole series of events in Fiji is making most Fijians feeling like Nancy Drew trying to make sense of everything
One thing for sure is something is gravely amiss in our beloved Fiji!
Meanwhile we understand the Prime Minister is gearing himself up to attend prayer breakfast later this week in Washington DC! No comments .
The burden of being Fijian is becoming so much more painful with each passing day under the tyranny of the Coalition Government who boasted to have set the nation free … but has proven it will lie and pervert processes and rules for its own loyalists / political power / agenda and take down or isolate anyone who challenges this.
We Fijians deserve better than this.
Bring on the 2026 elections !
Just suggestion: would it be possible to add a like button to the comments to gauge peoples agreement or disagreement with comment.
Most comments are very insightful and some indication of how many people feel the same would provide further insight.
Humble suggestion from an avid reader.
It isn’t possible. Sorry. WordPress – the platform on which I publish – is not like Facebook, if you’ll pardon the pun.
You can always signal your approval with a comment of your own.
Much obliged Thank you.
Richard Naidu somehow in his false belief thinks that he is the sharpest and most prominent lawyer in Fiji. He thinks together with his sidekick John Apted that no other lawyers in Fiji apart from them are the best. Truth is both are not by all means.
Naidu is an opportunistic and money driven person. He needs to be investigated for his role in the Fiji Water tax concession when there was a clear evidence of conflict of interest. With that concession, Fiji is losing millions of dollars in tax. Furthermore it appears that he remotely controls the Fiji Times newsroom to align stories for his own interests thus could be breaching all moral ethics of journalism.
Now the latest in the COI is the paper’s direct contempt to interfere whilst a judicial process is in progress.
Remember he has the audacity to discredit the judiciary like he did when he ridiculed a high court Judge and got away with it.
Now he dares again. Never learnt once bitten twice shy.
Richard Naidu’s attempts to be witty and humorous on social media often falls flat on its face. Not funny at all. He’s mediocre at best.
Nothing new here. Just more crying by people about what has happened in Fiji. Sometimes I wonder what difference does this blog make to the situation in Fiji.
Well for a start, it gives you a vehicle for saying it doesn’t matter. Do you have any self awareness at all?
Yes. I’m fully aware. And I’m also aware that everyone in government, the DPP office and also Salesi will do whatever they want without you being unable to do anything about them. The most you can do is make posts. But they won’t change anything in Fiji.
OK. I got 225,681 people visiting me in January – down on my usual numbers because of the holidays – but still up to 10,000 people a day. Yes, it won’t change anything. Except at the ballot box when the election comes around. You can count on that.
Absolutely GD!
The chickens are coming home.
Baimaan quaking in his little-man-in-big-trousers.
Titti barbie will soon know the beach party is over.
Good to see that the Commissioner is not taking any crap from the Government and its mouthpiece.
We need more like this to stand up and hold to account those like the cabal of the CJ and the abysmal media.
No doubt the Fiji Times proprietors will be looking for some new angle. Got to pay for the pardon? Hmmmm……
This just gets better and better.
Really good for our economy and foreign investors and even educated Fijians to see the circus Fiji has become.
We are half way back into 20th century, lets go all in now and make fiji the uncivilized jungle it was before Europeans and Indians arrived here.
The Prime Minister is a prayerful person.
He is or was in the same prayer group as Justice Ashton-Lewis.
Rabuka is opening Trumps breakfast in DC with his prayer.
What will be the prayer requests?
Lead us Fijians not into the deportation plane O Trump.
Deliver us from any planned Tarrifs.
Let the Wonderful people keep the holy (and supposedly healing) waters flowing from the deep wells of Yaqara into California.
As we forgive their tax obligations in Fiji.
And finally. May Your will ( not mine) be done and grant me ( and my followers) the ability to differentiate between the two.
God Bless America.
(And God save us all from our leaders!)
PS Thank you for the CIA Cessna private jet that was at Nausori airport…please don’t take that away under any new cost cutting policy including the use it or lose it adage…
PPS I’m thankful that I made it to Washington for your kind breakfast invitation. Lately I have been known to misplace or not receive any official communication from my subjects…but who could ignore the Seal of Trump!
These idiots are digging their own graves, last thing you want to do is piss off the judge.
Don’t we all wish it was election time already, I think the people have had enough of this circus. Now we have a PM attending prayer breakfast in the States while people are struggling.
I also have a feeling they are using this shit show to slowly kill Lynda’s scandal, what’s happening with that? hasn’t their 21 days to investigate lapsed already?
Lin-dahl’s 21-day embargo has been extended by 20 more days of prayer and breakie.
Sorry GD, no vegemite in DC.
But plenty peanut butter and jelly + tariff free maple syrup and tax free Fiji water for breakie.
You’d think a lawyer would be smart enough to know that moral authority is a one-off gift, squander it and you can only blame your own hubris.
https://www.fijivillage.com/news/FICAC-hosts-study-tour-for-Pacific-Island-anti-corruption-agencies-x8r54f/
Now this is the funniest joke I’ve heard in a while 😂
Fiji lost its credibility as a role model in the South Pacific long ago.
Fijian Observer sums it up eloquently. Yes, indeed bring on the 2026 polls.
FICAC was in the process, since thwarted in investigating a HVA within the inner sanctum of government locus of power.
Government activated the “Pretorian Guard”.
Governments and Organizations do this all the time when under threat or
attack. Nothing new.
The Emperors of Rome created these protective protocols or structures for their protection. Which are still very much in use, highly effective as ever today. We the Fijian public are witnesses right now to the same ancient protocols/concept and or protective structures deployed:
1. Concentric defensive rings around the said HVAs (high value assets or principals);
2. Sadly, the judiciary is re-purposed to serve too as the outer defensive ring or circle i.e. the first line of Pretorian Guards. CP stands out like Joske’s thumb. CJ, B Malimali,Nancy,Wilson actions make sense in this context.
3. The inner defensive ring or circle of Praetorian Guards is obvious.
4. The fourth Estate is always the first to fall to create a cut-out of credible critical awareness raising information to the people. Or to be made a conduit for misinformation, public shaming, defamation and selective reporting The Fijian fourth estate like the judiciary are now part of the deployment of the said defensive protocols.
5. We will have to realistically get our heads around the highly possible fact that the truth will not ever see the sanitizing light of day i.e. who is beig protected?Why? We can only speculate that the “Who” and the “Why” is severely detrimental to those within the inner sanctum of power in our beloved country.
Dear fellow Fijians respectfully, make your vote count at the Polls. Rome fell. Period.
Richard’s appearance before Justice David Ashton Lewis, says it all.
The proud founders of the lawfirm he now owns, established before Cession, are turning in their graves at the performance of the current partners.
Richard Naidu should be investigated for his role in recommending a seven year tax holiday for his client and for his poor oversight on the FT editorial.
The country has gone to the dogs as standards, ethics and honour has declined and will disappear if we don’t throw the Coalition out in 2026!
And, this is not even the main circus of Barbara, Tanya, CJ, AG, Siromi and clownheads Rabuku and Green!
I guess Frank and Aiyaz were right about ‘that’ lawyer, ‘that’ newspaper and ‘that’ communications company.