Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry has filed a defamation lawsuit against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad. The lawsuit stems from comments made by Prasad on August 1, 2024, where he allegedly referred to Chaudhry as “the biggest crook” and accused him of hiding $2 million in Australia.
These remarks were published on a news website and in a local daily, prompting Chaudhry to claim that the statements were false, malicious, and intended to depict him as a thief who concealed money overseas.
Prasad also suggested that the people of Haryana, India, had made financial donations to assist Chaudhry’s family in relocating for safety reasons due to the political climate in Fiji. He claimed that between November 2000 and April 2002, Chaudhry received funds deposited through the Indian Consul General Office in Sydney into his Commonwealth Bank of Australia account.
Chaudhry’s lawsuit alleges that Prasad was aware of the truth regarding these matters when he made the defamatory comments and argues that Prasad has failed to retract his statements despite a formal notice sent by Chaudhry’s legal counsel on August 12, 2024. The court has not yet scheduled a date for the case to be heard.