The University of the South Pacific has refuted allega­tions that it’s Vice-Chancel­lor Professor Pal Ahluwalia is paid AUD$500,000 (FJ$770.53m).

Fiji Sun had emailed Professor Ahluwalia, the USP Communi­cations team, the Deputy Pro-Chancellor Pat Walsh and USP Pro-Chancellor Dr Hilda Heine on 22nd April, 2022 informing them of the allegations and sought their response.

Not one of the four people who were emailed responded to the que­ries.

On May 2, a letter was sent from the office of USP by lawyer Jon Apted of Munro Leys on the allega­tions.

The letter clarified that: “USP has not increased the Vice-Chancellor’s remuneration, which remains FJ$534,000 or AU$344,389, which was agreed upon prior to its initial appointment of Professor Ahlu­walia in 2018, and which was below the salary paid to his predecessor.

“While Professor Ahluwalia was in Nauru, he was paid in the AUD equivalent of his salary because that is the currency under Nauru. Now that he is resident in Samoa, he is paid in the Samoan Tala equivalent.”

“The allegations you published on the cover page and in the Article mean and were understood to mean that USP, while struggling finan­cially and adopting a wider range of other cost cutting measures, has corruptly, improperly, unjustifiably and/or irresponsibly increased the remuneration of its Vice-Chancel­lor and president, Professor Pal Ahluwalia.”

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