Grace Road Group in Fiji Director Ahrum Song has hit out at Minister for Immigration Pio Tikoduadua for referring to the group as a “cult” in an official setting.

In a statement this afternoon, Song says instead of recognising them as a legitimate business entity, the Immigration Minister has framed them as a religious cult.

Song says this is solely a personal opinion, and the Minister’s personal opinion and the implicated bias should not come across as an official stance of the ministry.

“We categorically reject the reference by the Hon. Minister that we are “cult”. No doubt at an appropriate time and juncture the Hon. Minister must explain his position.”

Song’s statement complements the statement issued by their President, Daniel Kim, on Thursday, who has since been detained at the Suva Remand Centre.

Song says this current situation is not about Kim, and six other members as individuals but rather an attack on the entire GR Group.

He says the minister has portrayed their president as a fugitive.

“For many years, our president has been operating the business in public in Fiji. While we didn’t know where he was earlier, on last Thursday, he had a press conference at his office. Then, right after the press conference, he was taken into custody by the immigration and the police at his home. How could this be a fugitive in hiding? Also, why was he detained right after his press conference? Is this to suppress his freedom to speak to the media? Our legal counsel advises us that this is a clear and blatant breach of his constitutional rights!”

Song has further revealed that apart from Kim, another executive member of the GR Group received a visa refusal letter while she was on her flight back to Fiji from a business trip.

He says the letter was issued while she was on her flight to Fiji.

“Upon arrival, she also found out that she was forbidden to enter Fiji without a proper explanation. She has her passport and phone taken by the immigration officers and we cannot contact her at this time. She has no criminal record and is not under any criminal investigation. Certainly she is not on the Interpol list.”

Song is questioning the decision to deny the executive member an entry unto Fiji, labelling in an abhorrent breach of her onstitutional rights.

We are trying to get a comment from Immigration Minister Pio Tikoduadua.