Govt open to stripping FICAC powers

The Coalition Government says it is open to removing the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (FICAC) power to prosecute and returning that role to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

This was highlighted by Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo in Parliament on Tuesday during the debate on the consolidated review report of FICAC’s 2020–2023 annual reports.

“We will support legislative and constitutional changes that clarify corruption investigation and prosecution mandate, even if it means reintegrating its prosecutorial role with the constitutional role of the ODPP,” Mr Vosarogo said.

History

FICAC was established after the 2006 coup and is one of the few bodies with both investigative and prosecutorial powers in corruption cases — functions that are usually separated in many jurisdictions.

Mr Vosarogo, a lawyer, said Fiji was too small to sustain two prosecutorial bodies, arguing that duplication wastes public funds.

“In Australian states, none except Victoria — all other states’ Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) institutions only investigate. The power to prosecute must remain with the DPP,” he said.

The debate comes as the report shows FICAC’s conviction rate has dropped from 65 per cent in 2020–2021 to 38 per cent in 2022–2023, meaning nearly two in every three cases reaching court are being lost.

The commission’s workforce has also reduced from 145 officers to 129, while its budget was cut by about $2 million in the last financial year, even as new cases rose to 158 in a single year.

A Constitutional Review Commission is currently receiving public submissions, with some calling for FICAC’s complete abolition.

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