Electoral Commission says Saneem complaint belongs with COC

The Electoral Commission has rejected former Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem's call to establish an independent investigation committee into four Fijian Elections Office officials, saying the matter falls outside its constitutional mandate and rests with the Constitutional Offices Commission (COC).

Commission chairperson Justice Usaia Ratuvili said Mr Saneem had already lodged a formal complaint with the COC under Section 137 of the Constitution and that the Electoral Commission would defer to that process.

"Disciplinary matters concerning the Supervisor of Elections are properly within the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Offices Commission," Justice Ratuvili said in a statement yesterday.

He said the appointment, terms of employment and removal of the other Fiji Elections Office officials named in the complaint fell under the authority of the Supervisor of Elections, not the Electoral Commission.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who chairs the COC, confirmed the commission's secretariat had received Mr Saneem's letter.

"They will circulate to all the members for comments and recommended further action," Mr Rabuka told reporters on Monday.

Mr Saneem's request follows his acquittal, alongside former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, in the High Court on June 26. The ruling is now under appeal by the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions.

Justice Ratuvili also assured Mr Saneem, political parties and the public that the Electoral Commission remained "the ultimate custodian of the elections process" as preparations for the next General Election continued.