Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption Commissioner Barbara Malimali has assured that FICAC is free from any political interference.

On the International Day Against Corruption, Malimali reaffirmed FICAC’s commitment to holding individuals accountable for engaging in corrupt activities, particularly those in public office.

Malimali, who was appointed commissioner three months ago, following which there were a number of controversies about her appointment, says she is focused on ensuring she gets the job done and that she only answers to the Fijian public.

She pledges to safeguard her role and FICAC’s integrity from being influenced for any political advantage.

“I’m the commissioner now, and I can assure the people of Fiji that there is no interference by government in our operation, and we are completely independent, and any suggestion by anybody that there is pressure being applied from different quarters of government I would respectfully disagree with, and I answer to the people of Fiji through parliament.”

When asked about the challenges she currently faces, Malimali says it’s building trust and confidence with the officers she works with.

I’ve spent three months just trying to build a relationship with the people in the office, and it’s hard when you are trying to work and work around the disinformation and the misinformation around my appointment and around my own integrity. So that really has been the challenge, not really the actual work.”

The FICAC Commissioner has also made a strong stance, calling on civil servants or anyone holding high public office to refrain from engaging in any corrupt acts.

She calls on people to report any suspicious activity, stating that corruption is not welcome in Fiji.

Fiji scored 52 points out of 100 on the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. The Corruption Index in Fiji averaged 50.00 points from 2005 until 2023, reaching an all-time high of 55.00 points in 2021 and a record low of 40.00 points in 2005.

Malimali says there is room for improvement.