One of four former employees of the Nasinu Town Council, who are accused of defrauding the council of over $370,000, has decided to become a State witness. Pauliasi Bainivalu appeared before Justice Usaia Ratuvili in the High Court in Suva yesterday. His co-accused—Eliki Bula, Shiu Raman, and Razia Bibi—did not appear as they were unaware of the court proceedings scheduled that day.
Prosecutor Josanne Pene from the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption informed the court that the amended charges had been filed and served to the involved parties. Bainivalu’s lawyer requested additional time to review the amended information, seeking a month for this purpose.
Bainivalu and Bula, both former IT officers with the council, face multiple charges related to alleged offences committed between 2014 and 2019. Bainivalu is accused of soliciting $116,177 and accepting $57,427.40 in bribes from several companies during this period. Bula is charged with soliciting $1,000 from an employee of Innovation Technology Pte, a company that provided services to the council, in 2014.
Alongside them, company employees Shiu Raman and Razia Bibi are also charged. Raman faces charges including conspiracy to defraud, obtaining a gain, bribery, general dishonesty, and destruction of evidence. Bibi, who is a company director, is charged with aiding and abetting bribery, accused of assisting her employee in the commission of bribery by offering $2,066 to Bainivalu.
The four defendants are scheduled to appear in court again on October 7.