SODELPA Member of Parliament Niko Nawaikula was arrested by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) in Nadi.

Attempts to get caution interview

FICAC investigating officer, Kuliniasi Saumi, told the court that Nawaikula was arrested after a few attempts to get him for his caution interview proved unsuccessful.

Mr Saumi took the stand in the Anti-Corruption High Court yesterday afternoon. It was the seventh-day of Nawaikula’s trial.

Mr Saumi said that in August 2020, his team was directed to travel to Savusavu to locate Nawaikula, even though they did not have any confirmation whether he was in Buca Village in Buca Bay, Savusavu.

He testified that when his team reached Buca Bay, they found Nawaikula and presented a ‘sevusevu’ to Nawaikula and told him of their visit to Savusavu.

He said that he told Nawaikula of the nature of the complaint and allegations levelled against him.

He said that Nawaikula had agreed to go with them for a caution interview the following day.

He also told the court that they picked up Nawaikula from his home in Buca Village and took him to their Labasa office.

He said at the conclusion of the caution interview, they dropped him back in Buca Village.

Mr Saumi told the court they had informed Nawaikula that further caution interviews would be conducted at their office in Suva.

However, the next session of the caution interview was carried out a month later.

He said within that one month, a few attempts were made to conduct a caution interview with Nawaikula, however, they were not able to do so because Nawaikula came up with various reasons for not turning up for the caution interview.

In October, they found out that Nawaikula was in Nadi and arrangements were made for him to travel to Nadi to make an arrest.

He further told the court that when they reached Nadi, they located Nawaikula in a village where he was part of a public consultation.

Along with Nawaikula, there were several other Members of Parliament. Mr Saumi told the court that they waited for the consultation to finish and later that evening, they met Nawaikula and informed him of his rights and told him that he was being arrested.

He said they travelled back to Suva with Nawaikula where the caution interview was conducted the next day.

Following the caution interview, Nawaikula was released on bail.

In a cross-examination, Mr Saumi told the court that they had arrested Nawaikula without any arrest warrant. He testified that a certain section under the FICAC Act gave him the authority to arrest a person without any warrant and on reasonable grounds.

Withdrawals from BSP ATMs

FICAC team leader for Investigations, Milika Cakacaka, told the court that Nawaikula had made 195 withdrawals from Bank of the South Pacific ATMs in various locations. She was presented with Nawaikula’s BSP statement, which stated the locations and suburbs from where Nawaikula made withdrawals between May 1, 2019, and April 30, 2020.

She also testified to the court that most of the withdrawals were made in various BSP ATM locations
in Suva.

Ms Cakacaka also testified that some withdrawals were also made from the BSP ATM in Savusavu.

Charges

Nawaikula was charged by the FICAC with one count each of giving false information to a public servant and of obtaining financial advantage.

Nawaikula was alleged to have falsely stated that his permanent place of residence was in Buca Village, Buca Bay, and allegedly obtained $20,201.35 between August 2019 and April 2020.

It was alleged that Nawaikula breached the Parliamentary Remuneration Act of 2014 when he claimed travel and accommodation allowances, which he was not entitled to. Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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