Anirudha Bansod, the former CEO of Post Fiji Pte Limited, has been sentenced to one year and six months in prison for abusing his position. The verdict was delivered by Magistrate Yogesh Prasad at the Suva Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Bansod was found guilty of submitting a deceptive confidentiality and conflict of interest declaration during the tender process for developing the Post Fiji Mobile Application. The contract went to TechnoBase IT Solutions PVT Limited, an Indian firm with which Bansod had personal ties.
The court disclosed that Bansod communicated with Vaibhav Deshpande from TechnoBase IT Solutions through WhatsApp, sharing confidential information that helped the company obtain the e-Wallet services contract.
Although Bansod is a first-time offender and showed remorse, his admission of guilt came late in the prosecution’s case. Magistrate Prasad emphasized that the crime compromised the integrity of government institutions and opted not to suspend the sentence.
Bansod has a period of 28 days to file an appeal against the ruling in the High Court in Suva.