Nasaibitu villagers from  Wainibuka, Tailevu, were yesterday still wondering how they were caught up in an alleged scam.

Police are looking for a woman who is believed to be behind the alleged scam.

The villagers were falsely informed that Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama would distribute education grants at  Albert Park, in Suva, on Tuesday this week (January 16).

A woman from the village was supposedly going to receive a scholarship grant to study in the United Kingdom.

Nasaibitu Village elder Waisea Turagalailai, 64, said when they arrived at Parliament, they asked the security guard about the so called event. The guard said he knew nothing about it.

Mr Bainimarama said he did not know the full story, but he suspected it could be someone in the Opposition who wanted to discredit him and the FijiFirst Government.

“We don’t really understand everything, there were a good number of us, some from here and some from Nasautoka,” Mr Turagalailai said.

“We were told the PM wanted them (Nasautoka villagers) there to come and perform a meke at the event.”

He said they were excited to be witnesses of the event and see her take her scholarship.

He said the woman was to study law, lands, minerals at an English university. But the PM did not come, he claimed.

Later in the afternoon, they were allegedly told a vehicle from the Republic of the Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) was to pick them and take them to the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Nabua to spend the night. But the RFMF has denied any knowledge of it.

After a long day that started at 11am the villagers finally called it a day. At 9pm, they called the three carriers that brought them to Suva and took them back to the village.

He added the family of the woman had apologised to the villagers and they had accepted it.

Parents of Mary Vilimoni and Ema Muriduadua yesterday spoke on how the family had to go through the process of running around for their daughter, Mary’s scholarship.

“It wasn’t a scam, we checked everything, the student helper kept calling, and we told her (Mary) to follow the proper channel,” they said.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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