PM Rabuka to pay for own appeal after Commission of Inquiry ruling

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is expected to personally foot the bill for his legal appeal against the recent Commission of Inquiry (CoI) ruling.

This masthead confirmed this yesterday following growing questions about who would pay for the appeal after $2.1 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on the CoI process.

During an interview yesterday, Mr Rabuka expressed his disagreement with the ruling, saying his legal adviser Simione Valenitabua (Jnr), Solicitor-General Ropate Green and the Attorney-General’s Office were reviewing it and would advise him on the next steps.

The ruling, delivered last Friday, found that the actions of Mr Rabuka and the President were unlawful because they interfered with the CoI process.

Mr Rabuka maintained that the appeal would focus solely on where his name was mentioned in the ruling.

He said the matter could go to the Supreme Court if the appeal was unsuccessful in the Court of Appeal, reiterating that his political future could depend on the outcome.

Asked whether he would resign if the appeal failed, he said: “At the end of it.”

Mr Rabuka was also unable to confirm how much had been spent on the CoI, saying he did not have the audited figures.

With the general election approaching, the appeal is set to add another major political and legal test for Mr Rabuka’s Government.

“Let’s see what will happen,” Mr Rabuka said.

His decision to appeal has also received support from other political parties, including Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry and Unity Fiji Party leader Savenaca Narube.

“He’s decided and he’s got the right to do that,” Mr Chaudhry said.

Mr Narube said the appeal was important for transparency, good governance and the rule of law.

He also said the approaching election should not determine the legal decision.