Charlie Charters, a citizen journalist released on bail, has come forward with serious claims regarding his recent detention and treatment by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC). He has raised concerns about the leadership of Acting Commissioner Lavi Rokoika, asserting that her continued tenure is unlawful and indicative of a “rogue” approach to the powers vested in FICAC.
In a letter addressed to Chief Justice Salesi Temo and the Judicial Services Commission, Charters expresses that he is among several citizens negatively impacted by Rokoika’s actions. He details an incident on February 21, when he was detained at Nadi Airport by the Immigration Department, allegedly at the behest of FICAC, despite no valid Stop Order being in effect at that time. Charters claims that he was not officially informed of this order until hours later.
During his detention, Charters alleges that FICAC officers demanded he disclose the source of certain confidential information in exchange for permission to board his flight, labeling this practice as an abuse of power designed to extract information rather than to conduct a genuine investigation.
Charters reports that he was held at FICAC House for 48 hours, impacting his court appearance on February 23. He alleges that his caution interview faced significant interruptions and unnecessarily prolonged delays, raising questions about the legitimacy of his detention over the weekend.
He has been charged with aiding and abetting an unidentified FICAC officer in the publication of official information, a case that his legal team argues is flawed due to the lack of identification of the alleged co-offender.
Additionally, Charters claims his wife, Vanessa Charters, experienced several hacking attempts on her Apple account, which he believes began shortly after his detention. He has provided screenshots of these alleged hacking attempts in his correspondence.
In his letter, Charters criticizes the Judicial Services Commission for failing to take action regarding the leadership issues within FICAC and calls for immediate attention to what he describes as a legally unsafe environment perpetuated by the prolonged acting arrangements at the Commission.
So far, there has been no response from FICAC, the Acting Commissioner, or the Judicial Services Commission concerning Charters’ allegations. FBC News has also reached out to the police for comments on the situation.
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