The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) has significantly reinvented its strategic approach, marking a pivotal shift towards delivering tangible outcomes in the campaign against corruption. Discarding the preceding strategy, FICAC has launched a comprehensive new Strategic Plan for 2025–2030 and a Corporate Plan for 2025–2026, underscoring their commitment to results-driven initiatives rather than mere procedural activities.
According to Acting Commissioner Lavi Rokoika, the former strategic plan was ineffective, as it included a fragmented set of 133 measures that focused on activities like meetings and report generation rather than meaningful impacts. The revamped plan is more streamlined and focuses on measurable milestones aimed at substantially reducing corruption, accelerating justice delivery, recovering misappropriated assets, fostering institutional integrity, and most critically, rebuilding public trust.
In her short tenure of fifteen weeks, Rokoika has acknowledged the crucial role FICAC plays in the nation, emphasizing the necessity for a proactive institution that safeguards public funds and administers justice effectively. Transitioning from a complaint-based model, FICAC is now centering its focus on intelligence-led investigations, essential for navigating the sophisticated nature of modern-day corruption that often transcends national boundaries. International collaboration and the strategic use of intelligence and information are thus becoming integral to staying ahead of corruption networks.
The strategic overhaul has received commendation from Acting Attorney-General Siromi Turaga, who hailed the practicality and achievability of the new plan. He asserted the government’s dedication to implementing plans that deliver substantive outcomes.
In alignment with the comments from similar articles, FICAC’s shift includes establishing imperative goals such as clearing investigation backlogs, enhancing prosecutorial success rates, and meticulously tracking government expenditures to ensure transparency and efficacy. These moves are part of a broader reformative effort introduced since Rokoika’s advent, aimed at transforming FICAC’s operational modalities through international best practices and strengthening public assurance in governmental processes.
The restructuring efforts also promise a hopeful future for Fiji by embedding transparency and collaboration within FICAC’s operational ethos. This transformation represents a significant stride towards an environment of accountability and integrity, positioning FICAC as an instrumental force in fortifying governance in Fiji and engaging citizenry in ethical practices. As these changes unfold, there is optimism towards cultivating a corruption-free society, ultimately propelling Fiji towards a more transparent and accountable governance model.
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