Former Prime Minister and leader of the Fiji Labour Party, Mahendra Chaudhry, has accused certain ministers, who are currently under investigation by FICAC for submitting false declarations to the Registrar of Political Parties and for alleged corrupt activities, of interfering in the selection process for the FICAC Commissioner.
Chaudhry suggests that these ministers are attempting to evade prosecution by influencing the appointment of a new substantive Commissioner, as they seek to remove the oversight of Acting Assistant Commissioner Francis Puleiwai.
He also highlighted previous concerns regarding Barbara Malimali, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, who was reportedly involved in pressuring the Registrar to refrain from reporting these ministers to FICAC.
“A report concerning Malimali’s actions has been filed with FICAC and is believed to be under investigation,” Chaudhry stated. He expressed further concern about whether Malimali, who may have applied for the Commissioner position at FICAC, could be deemed a suitable candidate considering the circumstances.