Justice Minister vows independent probe into missing cocaine exhibits

Justice Minister and Acting Attorney-General Siromi Turaga has vowed that the Government will not interfere in investigations into the reported tampering with and disappearance of cocaine exhibits from the Suva High Court exhibit room.

He acknowledged the seriousness of the incident and the need for accountability.

In a strongly worded statement this morning, Mr Turaga said he was “deeply concerned” by reports that cocaine exhibits had gone missing from the court’s exhibit room and stressed that the matter struck at the heart of public confidence in Fiji’s justice system.

“I am deeply concerned by the reported tampering and disappearance of cocaine exhibits from the Suva High Court exhibit room,” he said.

“As the Minister responsible for the administration of justice and the upholding of the rule of law, my absolute priority is ensuring that our state systems are anchored in unwavering governance, strict accountability, and proper statutory processes.”

Mr Turaga said a criminal investigation had already been launched by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Fiji Police Force to determine exactly what happened.

“To that end, I want to reassure the public that a thorough, rigorous, and completely independent criminal investigation has been initiated by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Fiji Police Force, to establish the exact circumstances surrounding this incident,” he said.

The Minister moved to distance the Executive from the investigation, emphasising that Government ministers would have no role in directing police inquiries.

“It is a fundamental principle of our democracy that the Executive branch does not interfere with, direct, or involve itself in operational police inquiries or judicial functions,” Mr Turaga said.

“As Minister, I will not be directly involved in the operational timeline or specific directions of this inquiry.”

However, he said his ministry would ensure investigators had the resources and support needed to carry out their work independently.

“My ministerial oversight is focused squarely on ensuring that the independent investigative bodies are fully resourced, completely unhindered, and that the robust legal processes governing evidence custody are fiercely upheld without fear or favour,” he said.

The missing exhibits were discovered during an official inspection on September 15 in the presence of senior judiciary officials, a senior representative from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, police officers and a Crime Scene Investigations (CSI) officer who documented the process.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Crime Loraini Seru said officials conducting the inspection discovered that exhibits connected to the case had allegedly been tampered with.

The inspection found that seven bars were missing from the original 39 bars of cocaine stored in the court exhibit room. The seven missing bars are estimated to be worth about $8.2 million.

The reported disappearance of the cocaine exhibits has sparked public concern and renewed scrutiny of evidence management and security procedures within Fiji’s courts. Police investigations are continuing.