The Fiji Independent Commission has notified the Fijian Elections Office that it has closed three investigation files that were referred in September 2023. The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) conducted preliminary inquiries regarding complaints against the FijiFirst party.
The first complaint involved alleged corrupt practices linked to the FijiFirst Party and the Fiji First Australia Association Incorporated, specifically naming Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Tito Bainimarama. FICAC found that the list of donations submitted by FijiFirst to the Registrar of Political Parties for the years 2015 to 2022 did not include the Fiji First Australia Association, which is registered in Australia. Furthermore, FICAC requested additional documentation from complainant Alexandra Forwood, but was unable to obtain the necessary information regarding the alleged corrupt practices.
The investigation also examined claims that Tito Bainimarama was connected to former FijiFirst Party Leader Voreqe Bainimarama. However, findings revealed no records linking Tito Bainimarama to Voreqe Bainimarama, confirming that they are not the same individual.
Another set of complaints involved Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Mohammed Saneem, alleging collusion, conflict of interest, and a donation from Ariff Ali to FijiFirst while he was a civil servant. Preliminary findings indicated that neither Sayed-Khaiyum nor Saneem are shareholders in Formscaff (Fiji) Pte Limited, and contracts were awarded following the appropriate tender processes.
The third complaint involved His Excellency, the President of Fiji, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, and Charan Jeath Singh. FICAC sought assistance from the Financial Intelligence Unit for financial information related to these individuals. The information provided disproved the allegations, and FICAC confirmed the accuracy of the assets and liabilities reported.
Based on the results of these preliminary inquiries and subsequent legal opinions, FICAC informed the Supervisor of Elections that there was no evidence to support the initial complaints, leading to the decision to close the investigation files.