‘Charges were nonsensical from the beginning’

Former Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) chief executive officer Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the charges against him and the company’s current chief financial officer, Vimlesh Sagar, were nonsensical from the beginning.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum and Mr Sagar were acquitted by Resident Magistrate Joseph Daurewa yesterday following a withdrawal application filed by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC).

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum faced one count of abuse of office, while Mr Sagar faced a charge of abuse of office and a joint charge of causing general dishonesty.

The application was made under Section 169(2)(b)(i) of the Criminal Procedure Act 2009.

This is the second acquittal following FICAC’s filing of a nolle prosequi on August 28 this year in relation to allegations that payments totalling $138,813.37 for five legal cases were approved for R Patel Lawyers without the consent of the FBC board of directors.

During the proceedings, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum’s lawyer, Devanesh Sharma, told the court that FICAC acting commissioner Lavinia Rokoika had written directly to both defence teams to inform them of the commission’s decision to withdraw the matter, but not to seek an acquittal.

In an interview, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said that although the case appeared political, it had affected his family and prevented him from securing employment for several years.

“I was okay in a sense because I've been in the media industry, so I've got pretty thick skin. But for my children, for my parents, for my wife, it's been a pretty tough journey,” he said.

He said the charges had come as a surprise to both men, but they had not felt threatened because the company held all the records and, he believed, those records would show they had done nothing dishonest.

“We ran a very tight ship and we were all very honest and we worked with a lot of integrity and the fact that we were charged after led to a lot of consequences in terms of my reputation got tarnished,” he said.

Sagar points to clean audits after acquittal

Mr Sagar, referring to FBC’s audit history, said the organisation had received unqualified audit opinions — commonly known as clean audit reports — for more than a decade.

He said the financial transactions relevant to the case had been reported and reviewed by the Auditor-General, and FBC’s financial statements remained clear through the 2025 financial year.

“The irony of the matter is that I was charged under the Financial Management Act,” he said.

“But the most important part is that our audits are done in a timely and consistent manner. What we do is covered by corporate governance.”

He said the audit record demonstrated the importance of corporate governance and that he remained confident in the judicial process.

“I believe in the Constitution; I believe in my rights, and that is what kept me motivated,” he said.

Mr Sagar said his acquittal had brought relief after a lengthy legal battle that he believed had damaged his reputation, restricted his travel and placed strain on his family.

“I haven't been able to travel abroad for at least three years now,” he said.

“The charge and the calumny has already put a lot of effect on my character, but of course it feels good to be acquitted. I'm a free person now. I'm a free man,” he said.

The court ordered the return of their passports and other belongings and the lifting of their stop-departure orders.