The Parliament of Fiji has paid out former Opposition Leader Mick Beddoes mon­ey he claimed was owed to him after the events from December 5, 2006.

Mr Beddoes had claimed that he continued to hold the position of the Opposition Leader under the 1997 Constitution from the time of the events of 2006 till the 1997 Con­stitution was abrogated in 2009.

He had written to Government seeking redress on the matter. His argument was that despite not holding a physical office, he was still the Opposition Leader and needed to be paid accordingly as allowed for under the 1997 Constitu­tion.

While the exact pay-out amount is not known, it is believed to be more than $140,000. This was his salary for 2007, 2008 and a por­tion of 2009. The 1997 Constitution was abro­gated on 10 April, 2009.

When contacted yesterday, Mr Beddoes said: “If as you say you have information of a government payout to me regarding claims I have made, I suggest you ask the source of this information for the details you seek. I prefer not to comment at this time as the mat­ter is yet to be fully resolved”.

Edited by Percy Kean

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