Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry stated that the responsibility for the indictment of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Biman Prasad lies solely with the Court, not with his legal team. Chaudhry was responding to Prasad’s remarks concerning the charges brought against him by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC).
FICAC was set to charge Prasad on September 5 with multiple offenses related to the non-declaration of assets, income, and liabilities, in violation of Section 24 (l)(b)(iv) of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act 2013. Prasad has previously indicated that his lawyers were managing the situation and declined to provide additional comments.
The situation escalated on September 5 when Francis Puleiwai, the former Deputy Commissioner of FICAC, resigned following discussions with the Judicial Services Commission. She has been succeeded by Barbara Malimali, the newly-appointed Commissioner.
Chaudhry remarked, “Mr. Biman’s assertion that his lawyers disputing the charges is irrelevant. It is the role of the courts to evaluate the validity of the charges, not his lawyers.”