Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry may face a defamation lawsuit following accusations against Minister for Finance Biman Prasad.
The potential lawsuit follows Mr. Chaudhry’s demands for the Government to provide detailed accounts of the funds used for the 2023 Girmit celebrations.
“The finance minister, who is currently under investigation by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC), has not provided detailed accounts of the $500,000 allocated for the 2023 Girmit celebrations. Nearly half of this amount went to a discredited institute headed by his wife and a political ally at the time,” Mr. Chaudhry stated.
His remarks came after criticizing a “lavish” dinner hosted by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka at the Grand Pacific Hotel for Government Ministers, assistant Ministers, and their spouses earlier in the week.
In a statement, Mr. Chaudhry also emphasized what he identified as flaws in Government operations that required public attention, including an alleged drug and sex scandal involving two ministers who remain in Cabinet.
In response, Mr. Prasad fiercely rebutted: “Mahendra Chaudhry is the biggest crook that I know. He was hiding $2 million in Australia, he’s a convicted criminal, and he’s the last person to talk.
“Why is he jumping around? Mahendra Chaudhry is a compulsive liar spreading falsehoods about the Girmit funding approved by the Cabinet, which had two components: the Girmit celebration and the conference. This man, a convicted criminal, who was hiding $2 million in Australia, is lying about what happened. We will see him in court very soon for defamation and lying about the whole issue.”