The Fiji Independent Commission has notified the Fijian Elections Office about the closure of three investigation files that were referred in September 2023. The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) conducted preliminary inquiries into various complaints against the FijiFirst party.
One complaint involved allegations of corrupt practices linked to the FijiFirst Party regarding false declarations specifically involving Fiji First Australia Association Incorporated, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, and one Tito Bainimarama. FICAC noted that the list of donations submitted by the FijiFirst Party for the years 2015 to 2022 did not include the Fiji First Australia Association Incorporated, which is a registered entity in Australia.
FICAC also attempted to gather further documentation from the complainant, Alexandra Forwood. However, these efforts were unsuccessful, as Forwood could not provide the necessary documents or dates related to the alleged corrupt activities. The investigation into Tito Bainimarama, who was purportedly connected to the former FijiFirst Party leader Voreqe Bainimarama, found no records of births, deaths, marriages, land transport authority, immigration, or customs for Tito Bainimarama. As a result, FICAC confirmed that Tito Bainimarama is not the same individual as the former leader.
The second set of complaints was against Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Mohammed Saneem regarding alleged collusion and conflict of interest, as well as a complaint about Ariff Ali, who was accused of making donations to FijiFirst while serving as a civil servant. Preliminary findings indicated that neither Sayed-Khaiyum nor Saneem were shareholders in Formscaff (Fiji) Pte Limited, and the contract in question was awarded following the formal tender process by the Elections Office.
Additionally, investigations into the tender awarded to Xiarch Solutions Pvt Ltd for the 2022 General Elections confirmed that the proper procedures were followed by the Tender Board.
The final complaint involved His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Fiji, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, and Charan Jeath Singh. A preliminary investigation that included assistance from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) revealed sufficient information to refute the allegations against them. FICAC confirmed the verification of assets and liabilities from the FIU report.
Following the outcomes of these preliminary inquiries and subsequent legal advice, FICAC has informed the Supervisor of Elections that there is no evidence to support the allegations raised, leading to the closure of the investigation files.