Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry has stated that the decision regarding the indictment of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad lies exclusively with the Court, not with Prasad’s legal team. This remark comes in response to comments made by Prasad concerning charges filed against him by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC).
FICAC had planned to bring multiple charges against Prasad on September 5, related to his failure to declare assets, income, and liabilities, in violation of Section 24 (l)(b)(iv) of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act 2013.
In earlier inquiries, Prasad maintained that his legal representatives were managing the situation and that they would refrain from making further comments.
The situation around the indictment intensified on September 5, the same day that former Deputy FICAC Commissioner Francis Puleiwai resigned after her discussions with the Judicial Services Commission. Barbara Malimali has since been appointed as her successor.
Chaudhry criticized Prasad’s assertion that his lawyers’ resistance to the charges was significant, stating, “It is for the courts, not his lawyers, to decide on the merits of the charges.”