Commissioner Tudravu stands by officers

Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu has vowed to stand by officers implicated in viral Viber messages until substantial evidence proves wrongdoing.

“I’ll stand by my men. At this point in time, it’s still a Viber message,” Commissioner Tudravu said yesterday.

He stressed that he would not suspend the seven officers based solely on social media allegations without credible evidence.

“I don’t support police officers being judged by public opinion without substantial evidence,” he said.

The investigation follows viral screenshots allegedly showing senior officers, including the director of Narcotics, accepting money to assist drug dealers. All seven implicated officers have had their phones seized for digital forensic analysis.

Mr Tudravu said investigations are underway, with Australian Federal Police assistance, to verify the authenticity of the messages and identify their origin.

“We want to get to the root cause of who is sending these messages and find out the real connections that are out there,” he said.

He acknowledged the allegations were causing emotional stress and trauma to officers who have already faced public scrutiny.

“These people are calling for the suspension of police officers. There’s no evidence at this point in time, apart from the Viber messages,” Commissioner Tudravu said.

The Commissioner added that he needed a proper briefing from the Criminal Investigations Department before making any decisions on suspensions.

“If I make those decisions now, then all our police officers could be forced out of the force because anybody can name them. Even they can name me,” he said.

Australia-based whistleblower Alexandra Forwood, who posted the screenshots from Sydney, Australia has agreed to provide a statement to Fiji Police investigators, who will travel there to record her account.

Mr Tudravu called on the public to be patient and allow investigators to complete their work.