The Fiji Independent Commission has notified the Fijian Elections Office that it has concluded investigations into three cases referred to them in September 2023.
The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) conducted a preliminary inquiry into complaints concerning the FijiFirst Party. One of the complaints involved allegations of corrupt practices against the Fiji First Australia Association Incorporated, specifically against Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Tito Bainimarama. FICAC noted that the donations reported by FijiFirst from 2015 to 2022 did not include any contributions from the Fiji First Australia Association Incorporated, which is registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
FICAC attempted to obtain further documents from the complainant, Alexandra Forwood, but was unsuccessful as she could not provide supporting documents or specify the timing of the alleged corrupt practices. The investigation also looked into claims linking Tito Bainimarama to former FijiFirst Party Leader Voreqe Bainimarama. However, investigations revealed no records connecting Tito Bainimarama to those allegations.
Another set of complaints accused Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Mohammed Saneem of collusion and conflict of interest, as well as a donation from civil servant Ariff Ali to FijiFirst. Preliminary findings indicated that Sayed-Khaiyum and Saneem are not shareholders in Formscaff (Fiji) Pte Limited and that the awarding of contracts followed the proper tender process.
A further complaint involved His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Fiji, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, alongside Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Charan Jeath Singh. The investigation received financial information from the Financial Intelligence Unit that helped refute the allegations regarding these individuals.
FICAC stated that the findings from the preliminary inquiries, alongside legal opinions, led to the conclusion that there was no evidence supporting the allegations made by the complainant. Consequently, FICAC has closed the files on these investigations.