It is a shocking reflection of the state of the judiciary in Fiji that the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, has hired a private lawyer to threaten the nation’s politicians into silence over the criminal accusations against him by the Supreme Court Commission of Inquiry into the Malimali affair.
At the same time, it is an encouraging sign of the state of our democracy that the Head of the Unity Party, Savenaca Narube, is standing up to these bullies and is refusing to be intimidated by their threats. It is critically important that other politicians step forward to join Narube in taking the same principled stand.
The threat of legal action against our elected representatives has been made on behalf of the Chief Justice by Isireli Fa – the principal lawyer at Fa and Company and a man who deserves the strongest censure for the following passage from his extraordinary press release on Thursday.
Who the hell is Isireli Fa to threaten anyone from discussing the contents of the Report of a legally-constituted Supreme Court Commission of Inquiry, let alone anyone “politicising the findings and recommendations of the COI” – an oblique reference to our nation’s politicians.
And who the hell is Salesi Temo to commission Fa to openly intimidate anyone who is already shocked that the Chief Justice remains in place when the COI has found him liable to charges of perjury and obstructing and perverting the course of justice. He should have already been suspended and now uses his power – and undoubtedly public money – to threaten anyone who dares question why that hasn’t happened.
Our politicians – indeed the community as a whole – have every right to ask why Salesi Temo is still in place four months after the COI’s devastating findings against him of potential criminal conduct. And to freely discuss a public document that may have been released in redacted form but whose uncensored contents have been in the public domain for almost just as long.
Grubsheet and many others have been greatly disappointed in Savenaca Narube for having advocated a return to the racially-weighted 1997 Constitution. But in this instance, he has had the courage and moral clarity to stand up to Salesi Temo and his swaggering matanivanua, who has demonstrably gone way too Fa with this ugly threat. And the Unity Party leader deserves the entire nation’s support.
The full outrageous Isireli Fa press release:
And how it has been reported.
The CJ’s Enforcer, Isireli Fa…
And the thug who has engaged him to intimidate our politicians and the media and wage war on the public interest…
As Savenaca Narube says, their attempt to derail the Commission of Inquiry must be defeated.
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A reminder of the COI findings against Salesi Temo…
On the basis of this, the Chief Justice should have long ago been suspended and put before a Tribunal of three judges, as the Constitution stipulates.
Instead, he is being kept in place by his close friend and relative, the President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, and a Prime Minister who is asleep at the wheel of state.
Isireli Fa has a nose for easy money. He is after state money – like many other well connected and well placed actors and players. He will charge an arm and a leg for his services and Temo will happily oblige. Just like Malimali and Waqanika saga, whereby the latter, a mediocre lawyer at best, too lazy to work or practice, with a shell company for appearance, was paid astronomical fees by the former with tax payer monies.
Under this government people, including lawyers, are cooking up all manner of schemes and scams designed to get their hands on taxpayers money and they are succeeding because of a lax finance minister and a clueless prime minister.
This is the change Rolex Rabuka and Bastard Biman promised us. This is their example of good governance – sucking hard working taxpayers dry.
And not to mention the high poverty rates amongst i taukei Fijians and the never ending demands of forever soli,soli ni koronivuli,soli ni lotu,soli ni vanua,na kalavata culture,the high costs of domestic travel, the astronomical high cost of living, dinau here dinau there yet tax payers money continually being wasted to the millions,the COI costs there,the now JSC legal challenge oilei Viti ni yadra mada
After Narube sided with The Gang to change the constitution without giving valid reasons, I lost all respect for him. He is what we say in hindi ” will sit whichever side the hearth is warm” in fact I have stopped believing in all the old, new or aspiring politicians. Fiji is a lost cause. Once a beautiful island that was the envy of most countries now a mud pool ruled by Baiman and Rabuka.
Narube has always been Chaudhry’s boy, was Chaudhry’s PS for Finance, and is his coalition partner in politics. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chaudhry is behind Narube’s response.
Nevertheless, we must set aside political differences and all political parties should stand together to oppose this action. Of course, Biman, the bank roller of Fiji’s slide towards fascism, will keep NFP out of it.
Don’t be ridiculous. As if Mahendra Chaudhry would have supported the restoration of the 1997 Constitution. He may have contested the 1999 election under it but taking away the common and equal citizenry and stacking the supreme law in favour of the iTaukei and the chiefs would be a fast track to political oblivion at the hands of the minorities at the 2026 election.
Chaudhry is perfectly capable of making his own statement about the JSC and this appalling threat to freedom of speech and doubtless he will do so when he finishes assisting the cane farmers who have been devastated by the fire at Rarawai Mill. They are his people and I’d imagine he will be doing everything he can to pressure the government into assisting them.
The shit show has begun…Israeli Fa in it to milk it.
Laurel Vaurasi and her Rotuman connection – because her dirty a$$ is on the line too. She gets a commission out of this. Just like her Rotuman relos looted the NBF – case in point Makrava and Co.
How many more are lining up to molest the public coffers. Reminds me of the Rabuka and Qarase days.
Fiji is truly being f**ked.
Yeah. We wonder who really benefited out of that NBF collapse, a sizeable number were Rotumans who had their loans for housing approved without proper vetting and most had intervention from Makrava.
Had generational blessings if you have a house of 100k in Suva in the 1990s that Same property would worth now 5 times that amount.
That is truly tribal thinking and Rabuka and co slept on the job or turned a blind eye.
As a Ex Scholar in an all boys school in Flagstaff we always wonder how Rotumans dominated the school roll in that school in 2000s it was due to a particular long serving Principal who always preferred his Kaivata from Rotuma in joining that school. It was not like that before.
It was not only my fellow itaukei who were doing it. The other ethnic groups were doing it.
@CharanJhatuSingh you are right. The country is in the grip of a corrupt cabal. The worst is the bastard named Baiman. He has placed cronies like Attar Singh and Dakshesh Patel on several boards like Telecom and FNPF to perpetuate and cover up corrupt practices.
One case is about to blow in their faces.
Our FNPF is not safe in this stupid, crooked and inefficient finance minister’s hands.
Rabuka is part and parcel of it. He wants Baiman because he is weak and pliant and will approve all financials for indigenous projects and expenditure no matter how outlandish.
Isireli Fa and Tanya Waqanika are not the only beneficiaries.
Baiman’s Fiscal Review Committee appointee Richard Naidu, another Bastard, recommend the vat increase. It was all rigged from the word go. Richard’s firm Munro Leys was rewarded with a seven year tax holiday for client Fiji Water plus a contract with Aspen.
Our chamar finance minister increased vat and is putting the country in deeper dept to finance projects and schemes which will be tendered out to his cronies by his board appointees at exorbitant and inflated cost to taxpayers.
As election nears Bastard Baiman has reduced vat and is engaging in other vote buying tactics at the expense of taxpayers and sinking country into deeper debt. Our children will be paying off for this bastard’s excesses.
There has never been a worse politician in Fiji than Dogla Biman Prasad.
From the frying pan of FijiFirst the country has landed into the PAP-NFP fire.
Meanwhile the pufta military are busy reconciling.
Only God can save Fiji from these bastards.
It seems that those who are mentioned in the COI are following a tactic of one Donald Trump – commence legal actions in every jurisdiction available, engaging counsel of like mindedness and throw mud and threats at anyone who either asks questions or suggests that the COI findings are valid and those named need to stand aside until these findings are dealt with.
The CJ and others have no intention of answering the allegations and continue along their merry way aided, abetted and protected by the incompetent PM and the convicted criminal of a President.
Meanwhile Fiji slides further into debt, has a continued exodus of people, an increasing criminal element and a worsening International image.
Why would anyone invest or visit Fiji!
I suspect only Narube and Chaudhary would have the required ethics, commitment to Fiji and the ability to reverse the number 1 dumb ass decision this government has taken: tax holiday to Fiji water…
I mean it still beggars belief that any government let alone this one would be so monumentally stupid to give a tax holiday to a company that extracts resources and trades on Fiji’s name
Shameless.
Well they are not stupid if they have been bribed millions to make these decisions. It is corruption and everything will come out soon enough. Just like the millions paid in bribes to open an embassy in Jerusalem in the middle of a state sponsored genocide. This state of affairs cannot go on for too long.