Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) manager investigations Kuliniasi Saumi said University of the South Pacific (USP) director assurance and compliance provided FICAC with a piece of document that summarised allegations of mismanagement.

Mr Saumi took the stand as the prosecutions’ second witness before Magistrate Seini Puamau in the second day of trial of former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho.

Bainimarama and Qiliho are charged in relation to the termination of a Police investigation relating to USP in July 2019.

The charges: 

Bainimarama is charged with attempted to pervert the course of justice. It is alleged that between July 2020 and September 2020, Bainimarama attempted to pervert the course of justice by telling Mr Qiliho to stay away from the USP investigations that was reported on July 12, 2019.

Qiliho is charged with abuse of office. It is alleged that Qiliho on July 15, 2020, directed the director of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Serupepli Neiko and Inspector Reshmi Dass to stop investigations into the Police complaint involving CID/HQ PEP 12/07/2019.

Mr Saumi testified that USP director assurance and compliance, Dulari Traill visited the FICAC office in person and asked FICAC investigators to keep her anonymous. He said she had given a copy of the document to FICAC in the meeting with FICAC’s then manager investigator and other chief investigators at the FICAC’s conference room.

She was treated as a whistleblower and FICAC conducted its investigation in the case.

Mr Saumi said the formal processes took place and the complaint went through normal process of registration and assessment before the formal directive to proceed with investigations was handed out by the acting Commissioner Rashmi Aslam.

FICAC executed search warrant to the office of the vice-chancellor including other offices in USP which were of the human resources department, the finance department, secretariat office and the audit and compliance office.

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Story by: ashna.kumar@fijisun.com.fj