The Ministry of Civil Service has submitted serious allegations of fraud and legislative violations to the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption regarding the previous administration’s handling of the 52nd Asian Development Bank Leaders Meeting in 2019. This referral was made last year and is currently being pursued further by the Ministry of Civil Service and the Ministry of Finance.
During a parliamentary session, Assistant Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel revealed that the Office of the Auditor-General identified elements of fraud in payments and breaches of relevant laws, rules, and policies related to the procurement of goods and services for the meeting. He noted weaknesses in the Financial Management Information System (FMIS) related to processing payments during the event.
Immanuel stated that the Auditor-General’s findings indicated a significant level of misstatements, prompting the decision to initiate an investigation. The Fijian Government had set aside $10 million for the event, but the total expenditures amounted to $10.9 million. The additional $900,000 required to cover the value-added tax (VAT) was drawn from the government budget.
He pointed out that the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs discovered delays by the Ministry of Civil Service and its previous minister in completing and finalizing the report, which was ultimately published on December 2, 2020. There were also intentional delays in presenting the report to Parliament, which occurred on March 27, 2023, after the Coalition Government took office.
Further delays were attributed to the Ministry of Civil Service in directing the report to relevant authorities, including FICAC, for further investigation. This action was finally undertaken by the current Permanent Secretary and his team after discussions in November 2023.
In light of the elapsed time and the actions of those involved, Immanuel urged that the current Executive Management of the Ministry of Civil Service, with support from the Ministry of Finance, follow up with FICAC on the progress of the cases referred to them.
Additionally, under Standing Order 121(5), Parliament is set to debate the report’s contents in a future session.