The process of lifting and reasoning behind a Stop Order issued by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) for former deputy FICAC Commissioner Francis Puleiwai is solely managed by FICAC, according to clarification from Immigration Minister Pio Tikoduadau.
During a recent inquiry about the status of Ms. Puleiwai’s stop order, Minister Tikoduadau emphasized that his office does not have jurisdiction over the updates or minor reasoning related to such orders.
“No, it does not come to me,” said Mr. Tikoduadua. “There is the law, where the agency or the proper agency can place at the border for people that are marked for stop orders or similar situations.”
Ms. Puleiwai departed Fiji for Australia on September 7, following her resignation on September 5. She had previously asserted to the media that the rule of law had not been properly upheld at FICAC, citing ministerial charges along with allegations involving senior officials within the judiciary and interference with FICAC operations.
Although a Stop Order was enacted shortly after Ms. Puleiwai’s resignation, she had already exited the country by that time.
“That authority is not invested in me and even if that were to be lifted, it would depend on the authority that originally imposed it,” noted Mr. Tikoduadua. “The court and other institutions have the capacity to lift it, otherwise I possess no such powers.”