Suspended Director of Public Prosecutions Christopher Pryde has expressed his appreciation for comments made by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who stated that Pryde remained entitled to all his salaries until he was officially removed from office.
After being suspended for fifteen months, Pryde broke his silence with a five-page letter to New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, in which he claimed that the Fiji Government had stopped his pay.
On Friday, Rabuka mentioned he would consult with the authorities responsible for Pryde’s salary, affirming that Pryde was legally entitled to his salaries until an official decision on his removal was made.
Pryde expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister for his stance, stating, “I have heard nothing further from the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) since their unilateral decision on Tuesday. I would hope they reconsider their decision and allow me to continue to defend myself at the tribunal without any further interference in due process.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka confirmed that there were no discussions about the appointment of the Police Commissioner and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) during the Constitutional Offices Commission (COC) meeting on Friday night.
“There are no final lists that have come through from the tribunals,” Rabuka said. “They have not reported back to the tribunal.”
When questioned about the appointment of the Commissioner of Police, Rabuka explained that the appointment followed a different process. “There is a tribunal to investigate, and they have not returned the report to the commission,” he added.