The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has confirmed it will not appeal the acquittals of former Fisheries Minister Kalaveti Ravu and regional fisheries manager Tekata Toaisi, effectively leaving in place a Suva Magistrates Court decision handed down in January. The ODPP told this newspaper yesterday that, “after considering the facts of the case and the acquittal, the ODPP has decided that we would not be appealing this decision.”
Ravu and Toaisi were cleared by Magistrate Jeremaia Savou after facing charges linked to an alleged interference in a ministerial probe into the suspected illegal trade of a banned species of beche‑de‑mer. The alleged interference was said to have taken place between July and August 2023; Toaisi was accused of aiding the former minister in that interference. The magistrate’s January finding of not guilty prompted questions about whether the prosecution would seek to challenge the verdict within the statutory appeal window.
The ODPP noted it had 28 days from the date of the magistrate’s judgment to file an appeal but opted not to pursue one. By declining to appeal, the prosecution leaves the acquittals intact and closes the ODPP’s avenue to have the findings of the Magistrates Court reviewed in a higher court. The office’s brief statement gave no further detail on the legal reasoning behind the decision beyond the reference to its consideration of the facts and the acquittal.
Ravu first faced public scrutiny when he stepped down from his ministerial role in mid‑2024 amid corruption-related allegations; he has since remained in Parliament as a backbencher. The charges tied to this matter centered on alleged interference with a ministerial investigation into what authorities described as suspected illegal trading activity involving a banned sea cucumber species — an issue that has drawn regulatory and enforcement attention across the Pacific because of its conservation and economic implications.
The ODPP’s move brings closure to the criminal proceedings that began after the alleged July–August 2023 events and the subsequent prosecution. There has been no public indication that other government bodies will pursue separate administrative or disciplinary measures stemming from the same facts, and the ODPP’s decision leaves the court’s January findings as the final word from the prosecution on this case.
With the prosecution confirming it will not seek review, the acquittals of Kalaveti Ravu and Tekata Toaisi now stand.
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