The Fiji Labour Party (FLP) has urged the Prime Minister to reassign Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad, to the backbenchers. This call comes after Prasad was charged by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) for allegedly filing false statutory declarations with the Registrar of Political Parties.
FLP Leader Mahendra Chaudhry emphasized that Prasad should also be removed from his role as head of the Fiji Delegation to COP 29 in Azerbaijan scheduled for November, given the ongoing charges against him. Chaudhry recalled the Prime Minister’s earlier statement on September 8, where he indicated he would not hesitate to demote Prasad if he were charged by FICAC.
Chaudhry pointed out that Prasad was officially charged on September 5 with multiple violations of the Political Parties Act, which led to a scheduled court appearance. He suggested that this sequence of events coincided suspiciously with the hastily made appointment of Barbara Malimali as FICAC Commissioner on the same day. According to Chaudhry, this appointment appeared to be a strategic move to shield Prasad from prosecution.
Chaudhry remarked that the circumstances surrounding Malimali’s sudden appointment were too concerning to overlook. He noted that subsequent revelations led the Prime Minister to declare that a Board of Inquiry would soon be established to address the unsettling questions surrounding Malimali’s past resignation from the Electoral Commission and her appointment as FICAC Commissioner.
The Prime Minister agreed with Chaudhry that Malimali should temporarily step aside during the inquiry to maintain the integrity of the process. Chaudhry stated that the FLP is now anticipating the Prime Minister’s response to these concerns, warning that any further delays in launching the proposed inquiry could undermine public trust in FICAC’s independence as an institution.