Suspended Corrections Chief's wife denies nepotism claims

Vakaloloma Nakarawa, wife of suspended Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) Commissioner Jalesi Nakarawa, has maintained that there was no undue influence from her husband when she applied for the nurse practitioner position.

She began work at the institution on January 20 this year and was later terminated on April 9.

Ms Nakarawa was the last State witness last night to take the stand during the hearing into the inquiry of Nakarawa’s suspension.

In her evidence, Ms Nakarawa told the court she was highly qualified for the job and applied solely out of her interest in seeking a change from her previous role in the teaching field at Fiji National University.

She testified that before applying, she felt discriminated against in her own home as her husband strongly advised her against pursuing the position at the institution.

She said her husband warned her multiple times about the conflict of interest that could arise.

“For two straight days, I was given the silent treatment,” Ms Nakarawa said.

She added that while her husband occasionally asked about different positions within the nursing profession, her responses were never intended to consult him on restructuring the FCS Medical Unit.

During cross-examination, she maintained that although there were rumours of nepotism, she believed she was qualified for the job.

She said that after facing public criticism and backlash from the institution, she understood what her husband had warned her about.

Random drug testing

Ms Nakarawa disagreed with comments made by the President of the Medical Association, Dr Alipate Vakamocea, about her being unqualified to conduct drug tests.

She told the court the drug testing was “just a procedure” where they collected urine samples from patients and passed them to the lab technician for analysis.

She said nurse practitioners have proven their ability to independently care for patients, and this was no different.

When questioned by the tribunal about her independence, she admitted calling Dr Orisi Vunibulu during the process.

“If you were independent, why were you calling the doctor?” Justice Tuiqereqere asked.

She explained they were only instructed to collect urine samples and did not conduct the actual testing.

She dismissed claims made by an officer found with MDMA during the random drug test, saying she had done her due diligence by inquiring about their medical history before collecting samples.

She agreed with the court that consent was not sought from the five officers but maintained that, based on her experience at Colonial War Memorial Hospital, consent was only required when drawing blood.

Justice Tuiqereqere reminded her that the officers were entitled to constitutional rights regarding consent and that the testing was random.

He also dismissed her notion that recruits were not asked for consent during drug testing, noting that recruitment testing was part of the process and recruits were not yet officers, unlike this case.

 Appointment letter

Ms Nakarawa dismissed claims made by FCS manager Legal, Samisoni Naba, on Wednesday evening about setting a commencement date.

She said it was then director of Human Resources, Samisoni Naba, who told her to come on January 20 to sign her contract.

She told the court she formally resigned on January 16 and approached former Assistant Commissioner Akuila Namakadre the next day about an error in her offer letter, which included a lodging allowance.

She knew she wasn’t entitled to this allowance as she resided in government quarters, so she raised the issue with Mr Naba.

Nakarawa will take the stand on November 22.