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Suspended Commissioner of Fiji Corrections Services Dr. Jalesi Nakarawa has formally submitted his responses to the Constitutional Offices Commission Secretariat addressing all complaints raised against him.

The COC suspended Dr. Nakarawa on March 29th, citing multiple allegations that warrant further investigation.

Dr. Nakarawa expressed his respect for the COC’s decision but emphasised the importance of safeguarding the integrity and independence of the Office of the Commissioner of Corrections.

He is questioning the role of Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga in initiating the process and highlighting the lack of due process in the decision-making.

Dr. Nakarawa, who has been under public scrutiny following multiple allegations, has instructed his legal counsel to address these concerns to President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, Constitutional Offices Commission Chair Sitiveni Rabuka, and Turaga.

In a statement, he claims to have endured a “relentless” and “orchestrated” attack on social media in the lead-up to the suspension, which he chose not to engage with in order to uphold professional standards.

Dr. Nakarawa also questioned the authority of the Minister to recommend his suspension, pointing to a letter sent by the Minister to the Prime Min-ister and the COC Chair invoking Section 137 of the Constitution.

He argues that while the Minister can raise concerns, it is ultimately the COC’s responsibility, under Section 137, to independently assess whether the allegations constitute “misbehavior” and take appropriate action.

Dr. Nakarawa also expressed concern over the lack of clarity surrounding the allegations against him.

He claims that he was suspended without being formally informed of the specific claims of “misbehavior” and was not given a proper opportunity to respond to the charges before the suspension decision was made.

He believes that the COC should have thoroughly considered his respons-es to the complaints before making a determination.

FBC News has sent questions to the Prime Minister and Minister for Jus-tice and is awaiting their response.

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