Opposition Member of Parliament Faiyaz Koya criticized Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Communications Manoa Kamikamica for prematurely presenting the Investigation Report regarding Walesi PTE Limited to Parliament. Koya expressed his concerns in an interview, stating that the Opposition was not provided access to the report prior to its presentation, which hindered their ability to respond adequately.
Koya proposed that if the government plans to submit its findings to the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC), it should not have shared the report publicly as a ministerial statement, suggesting this approach politicizes the issue unfairly. He argued that discussing the report publicly in Parliament complicates the situation, as the Opposition has not had the chance to review the contents.
He emphasized that the proper course of action would be to refrain from making such a statement in Parliament, given its pending referral to FICAC. Koya expressed uncertainty regarding Kamikamica’s intentions during the presentation to parliamentarians.
In a development following Koya’s comments, FICAC has confirmed receipt of the file from Kamikamica. FICAC Commissioner Barbara Malimali announced the formation of a special task force to investigate the situation, which emerged due to a Special Audit Report by the Office of the Auditor General. This report revealed that the government allocated a substantial total of $123.6 million for the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Project and the operations of Walesi PTE Limited from 2015 to 2022.
This situation presents an opportunity for greater transparency and accountability in government expenditure, as the ongoing investigation by FICAC could lead to important findings and improvements in governance practices. A thorough probe may also reassure the public about the integrity of public funds and operations.
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