Francis Puleiwai [left] and Barbara Malimali

Former Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption, Francis Puleiwai, has clarified that when she left the Commission on September 5th, two high-profile case files remained for the new Commissioner to handle upon assuming office.

This statement follows FICAC’s response to comments made by Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu.

According to FICAC’s release, the Commission received a complaint on April 5th, referred by the Office of the Supervisor of Elections, alleging that MP Lynda Tabuya had failed to declare her spouse’s income and business affiliations, as required under Section 24 of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act.

Puleiwai authorized an investigation into the matter on April 24th, and an inquiry was subsequently conducted.

On August 5th, the investigative team recommended closing the file.

Puleiwai formally closed it on August 12th.

However, Puleiwai claims she was under duress to resign on the same day.

She adds that no handover notes were provided to the incoming Commissioner, Barbara Malimali, which would have outlined the cases pending on her desk.

She emphasized that two files were left on her desk, one concerning MP Lynda Tabuya’s alleged false declaration and another involving several high-profile individuals from the previous government.

Regarding Tabuya’s case, Puleiwai confirmed that the investigation was completed and the findings discussed with her.

She recalls that the case was still pending a final decision regarding closure.

The key issue, Puleiwai states, was the discrepancy involving Tabuya’s declaration of Robert Seeman as her spouse, despite their divorce in 2016.

This issue had not yet been resolved, and the file remained on her desk, awaiting dispatch to the Investigation Department for closure.

Puleiwai asserts that Commissioner Malimali wrongly shifted the blame for closing the case onto her.

She points out that while she left the Commission on September 5th, a letter from FICAC to the Supervisor of Elections dated September 20th was not signed by her.

Puleiwai questions how Commissioner Malimali could sign the letter without having reviewed the case file, raising doubts about Malimali’s handling of the matter.