Defense lawyer challenges FEO investigation into Saneem’s $350,000 salary

Lawyers for former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and former Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem have questioned the manner in which the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) investigated allegations surrounding Saneem’s remuneration.

Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa, the first State witness, took the stand yesterday before Chief Justice Salesi Temo at the High Court in Suva.

Ms Mataiciwa told the court that the issue first came to light when FEO’s Director of Corporate Services, Sanjeshwar Ram, informed her of alleged corrupt benefits received by Saneem.

Two Deed of Variation documents were presented to her — one showing Saneem’s normal salary of $221,794, and another reflecting an increase to $350,000.

She said clarification was sought from the Office of the President before the matter was reported to Police, followed by a press release.

Defense lawyer Devanesh Sharma pressed Ms Mataiciwa on why the complaint was referred to Police and not the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC).

She replied that previous referrals to then-FICAC Commissioner Rashmi Aslam were either delayed or unacknowledged. She further claimed it was later brought to her attention that Saneem had acted as a character reference for Mr Aslam’s Fijian citizenship application.

Mr Sharma also asked if Ms Mataiciwa was aware that the then-Prime Minister was delegated by the President to handle all matters relating to the Supervisor of Elections. After reviewing Saneem’s appointment letter in court, she admitted she did not have access to those documents at the time of her complaint.

The defense also cross-examined FEO finance controller, Romika Sewak, over her calculations of Saneem’s gross salary and taxes in 2021 and 2022.

Mr Sharma highlighted discrepancies, saying Ms Sewak had calculated Saneem’s gross salary at $567,749.98 but reported $512,000 to the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS).

He said the payments included back pay, election bonuses, and allowances, adding that Ms Sewak had written to the Constitutional Offices Commission (COC) noting that Saneem was still owed $67,307 for 43 days of annual leave.

Mr Sharma argued that Ms Mataiciwa failed to resolve several matters before calling for an investigation and did not give his client a chance to respond to the allegations.

The trial continues today, with Sanjeshwar Ram expected to take the stand.