The Ministry of Civil Service has reported significant allegations of fraud and legislative violations to the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption concerning the organization of the 52nd Asian Development Bank Leaders Meeting in 2019, linked to the previous administration. This process began last year and is currently being addressed again by both the Ministry of Civil Service and the Ministry of Finance.
During a session in Parliament, Assistant Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel stated that the Office of the Auditor-General discovered instances of fraud related to payments, violations of pertinent laws, rules, regulations, and policies during the procurement of goods and services. The investigation also revealed shortcomings in the Financial Management Information System regarding payment processing during the aforementioned meeting.
Immanuel noted that the Auditor-General identified a high incidence of misstatements, prompting the decision to initiate further inquiries. He mentioned that the Fijian Government designated $10 million for the event, while the actual expenses reached $10.9 million once the meeting concluded. The additional $900,000, attributed to VAT, was drawn from the Government’s Budget Head.
He indicated that the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs determined there were delays from the Ministry of Civil Service and its former minister in finalizing the report, which was ultimately completed on December 2, 2020. Aside from COVID-19 related delays, the report’s submission to Parliament was also intentionally postponed until March 27, 2023, coinciding with the formation of the Coalition Government.
Immanuel further explained that there were hold-ups by the Ministry of Civil Service in directing the report to the relevant authorities, including FICAC, for further investigation. This was finally managed by the current Permanent Secretary and his team after consultations around November 2023.
Given the elapsed time and the actions of those implicated, Immanuel urged the current Executive Management of the Ministry of Civil Service, with support from the Ministry of Finance, to check in with FICAC regarding the progress of the cases referred for investigation.
Additionally, under Standing Order 121(5), Parliament is set to discuss the findings of this report during a future session.