Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who also chairs the Constitutional Offices Commission (COC), has addressed the rumors regarding Barbara Malimali, the newly-appointed Commissioner for the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC), and her resignation from her previous role as chair of the Electoral Commission of Fiji.
In a statement released yesterday, the Prime Minister confirmed that he received official communication from the COC secretariat on Saturday, following about ten days of speculation after Ms. Malimali was chosen for the FICAC position.
Concerns had been raised by Opposition Leader and COC member Inia Seruiratu, who noted that he had not seen a resignation letter from Ms. Malimali. Rabuka clarified that Ms. Malimali stepped down as head of the Electoral Commission on September 3, before assuming her role with FICAC just two days later.
The PM stated that he was informed of her resignation via email from the Solicitor-General and COC Secretary, Ropate Green, at 8:17 AM on September 14. Prior to this, Rabuka admitted that he had not yet received official confirmation of the resignation.
The confirmation aims to alleviate concerns from the public and politicians regarding the appointment process for Ms. Malimali. Despite the announcement, Mr. Seruiratu still expressed doubts about how the resignation was managed, particularly highlighting that September 14 was a Saturday, a non-working day, raising questions about the timing of the resignation’s delivery to the Prime Minister.
He has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the resignation to ensure transparency in the process.