The former chief executive officer of Post Fiji Pte Limited, Anirudha Bansod, has been sentenced to one year and six months in prison for abuse of office. The ruling was made by Magistrate Yogesh Prasad in the Suva Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Bansod was convicted for submitting a false declaration of confidentiality and conflict of interest during the tender process for the development of the Post Fiji Mobile Application. The tender was awarded to TechnoBase IT Solutions PVT Limited, an Indian firm with which Bansod had personal ties.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Bansod communicated with Vaibhav Deshpande of TechnoBase IT Solutions via WhatsApp, sharing privileged information that helped the company win the contract for e-Wallet services.
Although Bansod, a first-time offender, expressed remorse, the magistrate noted that his guilty plea was delayed until late in the prosecution’s case. Magistrate Prasad emphasized that the offense compromised the integrity of government institutions, which led to the decision not to suspend the sentence.
Bansod has 28 days to file an appeal against the ruling at the High Court in Suva.