The Prime Minister talks about the “natural justice system” that gives the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, the right to stay in office and be free of a police or FICAC investigation into the COI allegations against him of perjury, obstructing and perverting the course of justice and abuse of office. Yet Sitiveni Rabuka displays no shame whatsoever about denying any form of justice to the former acting deputy FICAC commissioner, Francis Puleiwai, and the former FICAC chief investigator, Kuliniasi Saumi, who were cleared of any wrongdoing and are being denied the opportunity to return to their jobs.
The Prime Minister initially offered to hold talks with Francis Puleiwai about her returning to FICAC but withdrew the offer and cut off all communication after Puleiwai had the temerity to do what the Commission of Inquiry itself had done – call for the suspension of the Chief Justice.
Rabuka says that what she did was inappropriate. Why? Temo is unfit to be CJ and everyone knows it but the Prime Minister and Temo’s principal patron – his old friend and relative, the pedophile President and convicted treasonist, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu.
But in a fresh twist, Francis Puleiwai is demonstrating more of the spirit and integrity that she displayed last September 5 when she faced down the posse of lawyers trying to pervert the course of justice when they descended on her office, ejected her from the chief corruption watchdog’s role in favour of the disgraced Barbara Malimali and blocked her from charging the Deputy Prime Minister, Biman Prasad, on the very same day.
From her continuing self-imposed exile in New Zealand, Francis Puleiwai has doubled down on her call for Salesi Temo’s removal with the release of the contents of a police complaint she filed at the end of June against those who the COI has already accused of perverting the course of justice.
It blows apart the attempt by the Chief Justice, his equally corrupt Chef Registrar, Tomasi Bainivalu, and the rest of the gaggle of outlaws who witnessed Bainivalu relaying a message to Puleiwai from Salesi Temo that no charge she laid would be heard by any court in Fiji.
The President of the Fiji Law Society, Wylie Clarke, and his voluble matanivanua, Charlie Charters, are doing everything they can to discredit Justice David Ashton-Lewis and his Supreme Court Commission of Inquiry. But let them now answer Francis Puleiwai and the detailed allegations she makes in the following police report.
Puleiwai and Kuliniasi Saumi have become the forgotten people in the attempt by a corrupt establishment to degrade and derail the COI Report. They are two iTaukei of impeccable integrity who are shining role models for proper official conduct in a sea of squalor and wrongdoing on the part of the Prime Minister, the President, the Chief Justice, the Chief Registrar and the whole sorry cast of characters in this affair, including Wylie Clarke and Charlie Charters. It is a conspiracy without precedent in Fijian political and legal history.
Grubsheet calls on iTaukei of integrity – and everyone else for that matter – to demand that the Prime Minister reinstates Francis Puleiwai and Kuliniasi Saumi to FICAC. And that he implements all 17 recommendations of the COI Report. Because Rabuka’s conduct in relation to the entire Malimali affair is a national disgrace.
Some of the background to the latest twist in this sorry saga.
And for more, simply type “Francis Puleiwai” and/or “Kuliniasi Saumi” into the Grubsheet search engine on the right.
It’s a lot of emotion to read this. Put yourself in Ms Puleiwai’s shoes and think about what you would do? What are you made of? That is a brave Lady.
It makes me shiver to read it.
Our prayers for Ms Puleiwai and Mr Saumi.
You did what was right.
Hold your heads high.