Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has indicated he would not hesitate to demote Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Biman Prasad to the backbench if charges are filed against him by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC). Prasad is currently under investigation for allegedly failing to declare all of his assets, income, and liabilities prior to the last election.
Rabuka noted that he had previously set a similar precedent when he demoted former Fisheries Minister Kalaveti Ravu to the backbench. The situation comes after Francis Puleiwai, the former Deputy FICAC Commissioner, resigned, having approved Prasad’s arrest on the same day.
Rabuka stated, “Yes, that is the standing procedure with me, and Professor Biman Prasad had already briefed me on the possibility. There is nothing executive about that; that’s what she has said to the media. It did not come to us that he had been arrested. As soon as he is arrested, it will come to me, and when he is charged, he will have to carry out what is stated in the laws.”
In response to the investigation, Mr. Prasad noted that his legal team is managing the situation and refused to comment further. “My lawyers have been handling the complaint from the beginning, communicating with FICAC, and have made it very clear that there is no basis for the allegation and no basis for any charges,” he said.
The newly appointed FICAC Commissioner, Barbara Malimali, was contacted by Fiji Sun regarding the potential reassessment of Prasad’s situation. As of the time of publication, she had not yet responded.
Malimali is the second individual to hold the significant position of FICAC Commissioner, succeeding Rashmi Aslam, who was the first since the commission was established in 2007, taking office in 2012.