Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has made it clear that he will not hesitate to demote his Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Biman Prasad, to the backbench if he faces charges from the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC). Prasad is currently under investigation for allegedly failing to declare all his assets, income, and liabilities prior to the last election.
Rabuka noted that he had previously set a similar precedent with former Fisheries Minister Kalaveti Ravu, who is now serving as a backbencher. The situation intensified when former Deputy FICAC Commissioner Francis Puleiwai, who unexpectedly resigned on Thursday, approved Prasad’s arrest on the same day.
Rabuka stated, “Yes, that is the standing procedure with me, and Professor Biman Prasad had already briefed me on the possibility. There is nothing executive about that; that’s what she has said to the media. It did not come to us that he had been arrested. As soon as he is arrested, it will come to me, and when he is charged, he will have to follow what is stated in the laws.”
Prasad has indicated that he has involved his lawyer in the matter and will refrain from making further comments. He emphasized that his legal team has been managing the investigation from the start and maintains that the allegations lack basis. “That’s where the matter ends for me, and I do not wish to make any further comments,” Prasad stated.
The Fiji Sun has reached out to the newly appointed FICAC Commissioner Barbara Malimali to inquire whether she plans to reevaluate the charges against Prasad. As of the time of this report, she has not responded.
Meanwhile, Malimali is the second individual to be appointed to the important role of FICAC Commissioner, following Rashmi Aslam, who was the inaugural commissioner after the establishment of the commission in 2007 and held the position since 2012.