Puleiwai's Case Handled by FICAC

The lifting and reasoning of a Stop Order issued by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) for former deputy FICAC Commissioner Francis Puleiwai is handled by FICAC, not the Ministry of lmmigration.

Minister for Immigration Pio Tikoduadau made this clarification yesterday when asked regarding Ms Puleiwai's stop order.

He revealed that updates, Intel and minor reasoning of such order is not the prerogative of his office.

"No, it does not come to me," Mr Tikoduadua said.

"There is the law, where the agency or the proper agency can place at the border for people that marked for stop order or something."

Ms Puleiwai left Fiji for Australia on September 7 after resigning on September 5.

Ms Puleiwai earlier claimed to the press that the rule of law was not upheld at FICAC in terms of ministerial charges together with allegations of senior officials within the judiciary and ministerial interferences into the matters of FICAC.

A Stop Order was issued soon after M s Puleiwai's resignation but she had already left the country by then.

"That authority is not invested in me and even if that be lifted, it depends on the authority that put it there in the first place," Mr Tikoduadua said.

"And also the court and other institution that can probably lift it, otherwise I have no powers."

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