Praneeta Prakash 
[Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/Facebook]
The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence believes that there is a need to reinstate a specialized anti-corruption court in the country.
Chair, Lenora Qereqeretabua said that with the reestablishment of a specialized court, the Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption would be better positioned to meet its mandate.
She highlighted this while presenting FICAC’s Consolidated Review Report of the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 Annual Reports.
“The Committee acknowledges FICAC’s pivotal role in upholding the integrity of public administration in Fiji. The Committee believes that with strengthened resourcing, greater educational outreach, investment in human capital and institutional reforms, such as the reestablishment of a specialized court, FICAC will be better positioned to meet its mandate and help build a culture of integrity and good governance across the nation.”
Qereqeretabua said concerns have also been raised over the delayed implementation of key initiatives such as the Youth Ambassador Programme and the National Anti-Corruption Curriculum.
“The Committee recommends that FICAC be allocated sufficient resources to fully realize these initiatives. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, FICAC should prioritize integrating anti-corruption education into school curriculum and teacher training programmes as soon as practicable.”
Qereqeretabua said the Committee also strongly recommended a series of staff retention initiatives, including skills-based allowances for specialized roles, performance-based incentives tied to key performance indicators, and regular salary reviews to ensure FICAC remained competitive within the public sector.
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