Fijileaks: FICAC must investigate whether Biman Prasad, as Finance Minister, embezzled Fiji taxpayers money to bankroll his NFP?"In the national budget last year, it came as a shock when Hon Prasad unilaterally gave $325,000 to each political party without consultation or cabinet approval even though it is supposed to be $15,000 per Member of Parliament. This is calculated as follows: Fiji First 26 MPs x $15000 = $390000, PAP 21 MPs x $15000 = $315,000, NFP 5 MPs x $15000 = $75000, Sodelpa 3 MPs x $15000 = $45000. NFP paid itself an extra $240000 without consultation or Cabinet approval." LYNDA TABUYA in her press statement |   |
"Fiji Labour Party has also consistently questioned the Minister’s tendency to give public money to his own cronies and political allies without expressions of interest being called, eg:
• $200,000 Girmit Funds to the defunct and discredited Global Girmit Institute of which his wife and close ally Ganesh Chand were trustees at the time. We are still awaiting audited detailed accounts for this
• $1m to the Pacific Polytechnic Institute, a virtually bankrupt organization at the time, with which Ganesh Chand was closely associated.
Labour agrees that such “patterns of behaviour” are typical of Minister Prasad and call for a public explanation and response.
He cannot hide behind the claim that he is working on the Budget and is too busy to respond."
 "Biman Prasad told the Fiji Sun he was too busy working on the next Budget to respond to such allegations...He must respond to Lynda Tabuya's very serious allegations against him." |  Begging to be left alone |
Serious allegations have been hurled against Finance Minister Biman Prasad by a fellow Minister in the Coalition government to which he should respond in the interests of accountability and transparency.
In a media release following the debacle over parliamentary pay increases this week, Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya claims that on several important policy matters the Finance Minister acted unilaterally without getting Cabinet or parliamentary approval.
She also alleged that as NFP leader he made an approach to the Fiji First Party last week to form a coalition government ostensibly to undermine the Rabuka government.
Biman Prasad told the Fiji Sun he was too busy working on the next Budget to respond to such allegations.
While this is definitely a matter for the Prime Minister to handle, if true, it reflects adversely on Mr Prasad’s loyalty to the Coalition and should be cleared up. His silence in the matter can be seen as acquiescence. It undermines political stability and casts doubts on Biman’s integrity as a Coalition minister.
What concerns us more is substantiation by Ms Tabuya of our own allegations (Labour) earlier that the Minister awarded $1.3m a year to the four political parties in Parliament without obtaining parliamentary approval for it. Nor was it mentioned in his 2023/24 Budget address. It was done surreptitiously and was only exposed when the then Fiji First general-secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum queried it publicly.
Now we are told by Ms Tabuya that he did not even have Cabinet approval for this move. Not only that. By giving each political party in Parliament an equivalent $325,000 a year regardless of the number of MPs they had, he ensured benefits to NFP and Sodelpa way above what they were entitled to.
Labour had taken this matter up with the Secretary-General to Parliament and with the Electoral Commission, neither of whom have bothered to respond.
Minister Tabuya further alleges that as Finance Minister, Biman Prasad acted without Cabinet approval when he unilaterally:
• #Blocked a 20% pay increase for Prison Officers, earlier this year, awarded to them in a 2018 Job Evaluation exercise but had then been blocked by former PM Bainimarama
• Although several Coalition ministers lobbied for the promised #minimum wage increase to be implemented with immediate effect, NFP which held the Employment portfolio stalled on this to appease their “business backers”.
• Changed the payment of #bus fare subsidies to the elderly and the disabled from $25 a month to that based on usage without Cabinet approval or consulting with the line Minister
These are serious allegations to which Minister Prasad must respond.
Apart from the questions we raised over the unlawful $325,000 a year payment made to each political party in Parliament, Labour has also consistently questioned the Minister’s tendency to give public money to his own cronies and political allies without expressions of interest being called, eg:
• $200,000 Girmit Funds to the defunct and discredited Global Girmit Institute of which his wife and close ally Ganesh Chand were trustees at the time. We are still awaiting audited detailed accounts for this
• $1m to the Pacific Polytechnic Institute, a virtually bankrupt organization at the time, with which Ganesh Chand was closely associated.
Labour agrees that such “patterns of behaviour” are typical of Minister Prasad and call for a public explanation and response.
He cannot hide behind the claim that he is working on the Budget and is too busy to respond.
In a media release following the debacle over parliamentary pay increases this week, Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya claims that on several important policy matters the Finance Minister acted unilaterally without getting Cabinet or parliamentary approval.
She also alleged that as NFP leader he made an approach to the Fiji First Party last week to form a coalition government ostensibly to undermine the Rabuka government.
Biman Prasad told the Fiji Sun he was too busy working on the next Budget to respond to such allegations.
While this is definitely a matter for the Prime Minister to handle, if true, it reflects adversely on Mr Prasad’s loyalty to the Coalition and should be cleared up. His silence in the matter can be seen as acquiescence. It undermines political stability and casts doubts on Biman’s integrity as a Coalition minister.
What concerns us more is substantiation by Ms Tabuya of our own allegations (Labour) earlier that the Minister awarded $1.3m a year to the four political parties in Parliament without obtaining parliamentary approval for it. Nor was it mentioned in his 2023/24 Budget address. It was done surreptitiously and was only exposed when the then Fiji First general-secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum queried it publicly.
Now we are told by Ms Tabuya that he did not even have Cabinet approval for this move. Not only that. By giving each political party in Parliament an equivalent $325,000 a year regardless of the number of MPs they had, he ensured benefits to NFP and Sodelpa way above what they were entitled to.
Labour had taken this matter up with the Secretary-General to Parliament and with the Electoral Commission, neither of whom have bothered to respond.
Minister Tabuya further alleges that as Finance Minister, Biman Prasad acted without Cabinet approval when he unilaterally:
• #Blocked a 20% pay increase for Prison Officers, earlier this year, awarded to them in a 2018 Job Evaluation exercise but had then been blocked by former PM Bainimarama
• Although several Coalition ministers lobbied for the promised #minimum wage increase to be implemented with immediate effect, NFP which held the Employment portfolio stalled on this to appease their “business backers”.
• Changed the payment of #bus fare subsidies to the elderly and the disabled from $25 a month to that based on usage without Cabinet approval or consulting with the line Minister
These are serious allegations to which Minister Prasad must respond.
Apart from the questions we raised over the unlawful $325,000 a year payment made to each political party in Parliament, Labour has also consistently questioned the Minister’s tendency to give public money to his own cronies and political allies without expressions of interest being called, eg:
• $200,000 Girmit Funds to the defunct and discredited Global Girmit Institute of which his wife and close ally Ganesh Chand were trustees at the time. We are still awaiting audited detailed accounts for this
• $1m to the Pacific Polytechnic Institute, a virtually bankrupt organization at the time, with which Ganesh Chand was closely associated.
Labour agrees that such “patterns of behaviour” are typical of Minister Prasad and call for a public explanation and response.
He cannot hide behind the claim that he is working on the Budget and is too busy to respond.
