He is an eminent jurist, illustrious diplomat, senior civil servant, an academic, and is well regarded and well respected.

These were the accolades made by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka this morning while speaking on his nomination of Justice Filimone Jitoko as Speaker of Parliament.

Jitoko secured the seat with a total of 34 votes to the Opposition’s nominee, Ruveni Nadalo’s 15.

The PM said Jitoko’s “sense of fairness and commitment to uphold the Parliament democracy in this land at all times”, will make him “an excellent holder of the high office.”

Rabuka said Jitoko’s intimate knowledge and brilliant qualities as a jurist will ensure that Parliament makes laws that are user-friendly and coherent.

Justice Filimone Jitoko is 75.

He was born on October 3, 1949, in Kabara, Lau, to parents Isireli Rarawa and Leba Wainise and, together with his wife Elina Senirewa Jitoko, has two sons and two daughters.

Jitoko attended District School Kabara, followed by Ratu Kadavulevu School and Queen Victoria School.

He was a member of Fiji Secondary Schools rugby team in 1969 and prior to that captained the QVS first 15 as well as the school’s cricket, hockey and athletics teams.

Jitoko law at Victoria University in Wellington from 1972-76 and was admitted to the bar in Fiji in 1978.

He was a State Law Officer and rose to the position of Solicitor General and later had stints as Resident Magistrate and Puisne Judge of the High Court of Fiji, and also served as legal advisor to the Bose Levu Vaka Turaga from 1988 to 1994.

Jitoko served most recently as president of the Court of Appeal and prior to that as Chief Justice in the Republic of Nauru

As a diplomat, he served as Fiji’s Ambassador to the court of St James in the United Kingdom and was also accredited to the Holy See, Denmark and Israel.

Jitoko also served as Counselor at Fiji’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York and the Fiji Embassy to the United States in Washington DC.

As a senior civil servant. He also served as Secretary to Cabinet, he also briefly joined academia as a senior lecturer at the School of Islands and Oceans as well as the School of Law in the University of the South Pacific.