Diplomat In Gang Rape Row

The second Secretary of the Fijian High Commission in Canberra, Australia, is at the centre of a controversy for providing character references for three Fijians convicted of rape.

As a result, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Yogesh Karan has ordered an investigation.

Lote Raboila is the diplomat highlighted by ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) who gave character reference for the Fijian rugby players during their court case in Canberra.

When contacted yesterday to clarify the processes in place regarding such cases, Mr Karan said an investigation had been ordered.

“As per our foreign office regulations, any such case must be referred to the Head of the Mission and to appear or not to appear, that approval needs to come from Permanent Secretary Foreign Affairs,” he said.

“We then may take legal opinion and advice based on the nature of the case. Guidelines are noticeably clear in the ministry (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

“I had discussions with the High Commissioner Luke Daunivalu about the case after it was highlighted in the media.”

Mr Raboila did not want to comment on the issue when contacted yesterday.

The horrific case

The accused ringleader of the attack, Simon Vunilagi, was found guilty of more than ten charges, most of which were rape.

He was sentenced to six years and three months in jail.

His co-accused in the judge-alone trial, were 22-year-old Isimeli Vatanitawake and 45-year-old-Josefa Masivesi.

They were sentenced to two-and-a-half years and two years and one month, respectively.

The men met their victim at a popular nightclub Mooseheads, in Canberra’s city centre, in November 2019.

The victim said she had then been taken to the home of Masivesi where she was assaulted over several hours.

She later told Police she was hoarse from screaming for the men to stop, and that they had turned up music in the lounge room to drown out the noise.

Divided Fijian community

In the report by ABC, the news had caused a divided Fijian community living in the Australian capital.

The crime outraged many, but it is the support provided to the offenders by some members of the Fijian community, that has caused the division.

It caused a split in the Koro Turaga Support Group, that aims to support Fijian men who travel to Canberra, to become professional rugby players.

Two of the three men sent to jail, Vunilagi and Vatanitawake, were in Australia to play rugby.

On one side of the group were those who wanted to help the men after they were arrested and charged, and on the other those who felt the allegations were too serious to get involved.

The ABC reported that several of the current and former members of the Koro Turaga Support Group were approached for comments but they either declined or did not respond.

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