Government to amend FICAC Act, says PM

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Government will amend the FICAC Act to prevent duplication of roles with the Fiji Police Force.

Mr Rabuka said Government is awaiting draft legislation from the Attorney-General’s Office to amend laws governing the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC), including potential constitutional changes affecting the institution.

He confirmed that reviewing and dismantling FICAC was one of the commitments outlined in his party’s election manifesto.

“That is one of the things we said in our manifesto we will do,” Mr Rabuka said.

“I am still waiting for our law drafters - the Attorney-General’s Office, to come up with a draft to amend the Act as well as to amend the Constitution, the part that contains matters that affect FICAC.”

Mr Rabuka said FICAC’s functions may overlap with those assigned to the Fiji Police Force and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“When we saw it, we thought it was beginning to duplicate a lot of roles the roles that are given to the police, the roles that are given to the Director of Public Prosecutions,” he said.

Any move to dismantle or significantly alter FICAC would require amendments to both its governing Act and relevant sections of the Constitution that establish or protect its functions.

Mr Rabuka said reform was necessary to align governance structures with the nation’s code of conduct.

“If not, we are perpetuating what we said is not in accordance with the code of conduct of the nation,” he said.

Government has yet to announce a timeline for the draft amendments to be tabled in Parliament.