FIJILEAKS: Mahendra Reddy should also be charged with Ganesh Chand with abuse of office for the half-million dollar 'golden handshake'; what about Chand's co-accused Narendra Prasad; he has resigned and in NZ?

1/4/2015

Fijileaks Founder: We had founded Fijileaks to hold the high and mighty from all races to account. Let us hope Ganesh Chand is not the last one. The notorious Media Decree was brought in to ensure that the likes of Chand - Fiji First Party manifesto author - slipped through the legal net. A warning to those in power: you can run but you will not be able to hide from Fijileaks. We are here to serve the People of Fiji, VINAKA

FICAC charges former FNU VC

The former Vice Chancellor of the Fiji National University Dr Ganesh Chand has appeared in the Suva Magistrates Court charged with one count of Abuse of Office.

The charge was laid by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption.

It is alleged that Chand while being employed in the Public Service abused the authority of his office.

It is alleged he approved the payments for overseas medical treatment for the then Minister of Education and the Chairman of the FNU Council, Filipe Bole without the council’s approval.

The case has been adjourned to 22nd April when the accused will take a plea.

Chand was released on a bail bond of $500.

He has been advised by the Court not to re-offend and surrender all traveling documents to the Court Registry. Source: FBC News

From Fijileaks Archive

NOW, WHAT ABOUT DR NEIL SHARMA, FORMER HEALTH MINISTER?

“We have been discussing with the FCS on ways and means in which we as an educational institution can assist the services and particularly the inmates, on giving them appropriate skills for their after-prison life,” Ganesh Chand, February 2014

PRISON COURSEWORK: Chand with Fiji Corrections Service Commissioner Lieutenant Colonel Ifereimi Vasu. Fiji National University (FNU) and Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) have embarked on a partnership that will see collaboration between the two entities in the areas of inmate training, professional development programmes, student attachment and research. Chand said MOU has a number of very specific ingredients and one of them was aptitude test of the prisoners. He said the test would enable FNU to find out the different kinds of training that each category of inmate needed and on that basis, develop specific training programmes if necessary.

17 Comments

Chiku

1/4/2015 04:15:09 am

I salute Fijileaks for keeping the spotlight on Ganesh Chand and all the other regime cronies who were making hay while the sun was shinning on them in the Fijian dictatorship of Bainimarama and Khaiyum. That has led to Ganesh being finally rounded up - for his abuse of office. There are other abusers of power still to have their day in court. Fijileaks your good work must go on until each of the scoundrel is hauled before a court of law to account for their abuse.

1/4/2015 04:23:33 am

So these scoundrels had joined the Bainimarama bandwagon to give the people of Fiji a more transparent and accountable government?
And just look at what they were up to. We wouldn't have known had it not been for the Fijileaks exposures.

SAT NARAYAN

1/4/2015 05:05:49 am

One has to give this guy Andrew Singh huge credit for exposing Ganesh Chand. I am sure that if it were any other bean counter, he would have succumbed to Ganesh's bribe in the form of cash, credit card and all expenses paid overseas trip - all at the expense of FNU and hence the parents of the poor students.

Bravo Mr Singh - you give Accountants and the accounting profession the real credibility.

Kavita

1/4/2015 06:57:26 pm

Education Minister Reddy needs to be charged for helping GC walk away half million dollars. The FICAC enquiries were already under way when Reddy saw it fit to come to that arrangement. What due diligence took place. The decision by Reddy tantamounts to being an accomplice in committing fraud. The charge now - does it tie with Reddys reason given for Ganesh Chand termination?.He has misled the taxpayers big time. Reddy has failed to exercise proper management and governance principles. FICAC needs to investigate the role of Reddy in the payout and take appropriate steps.

Johnny

1/4/2015 07:40:59 pm

Why wasn't filipe bole, poasa koroitamana and Ian rouse also charged. Poasa, who is welfare manager and a Ganesh Chand b...s.....has been rejecting ordinary staff medical evaluation claim so that FNU can pay for bole, narendra Prasad and the expariats medical expenses. Our people are dying in Fiji while a few suck FNU dry. Ian rouse needs to be charged for facilitating narendra prasads desertion to NZ. He hasn't been doing a good job so far anyway.

Former Fiji Citizen

2/4/2015 12:00:36 am

This sorry case demonstrates that with people like Ganesh Chand supported by a corrupt regime, we former citizens of Fiji will have to
think twice to come and work in Fiji so as to contribute towards nation building.

Actually

2/4/2015 12:58:29 am

Actually a lot of former citizens living overseas are only too happy to come back and help in Bainimarama and Khaiyum's project of nation building. They even supported the Fiji First Theft party with their money and flag waving and all that. Some even event to Fiji to campaign for the Fiji First Butako Party.

FULL MARKS

2/4/2015 05:40:40 pm

Full marks to Fijileaks and Victor Lal for pursuing this thug with unremitting relentless. Since bai-kai came into power by overthrowing Garase's elected government, Ganesh Chand has been looting the national purse in the form of FNU funds by this association with the key members of an illegal regime. Illegally paying Bole's medical fee is just one example. Bribing public officials to get his way, suing people for defamation (using FNU funds) who wanted to expose his corruption and abuse of office, and sacking FNU staff on the spot if they stood up to him...This
list can go on an on.

For decades Ganesh has used his position of VC of FNU to terrorise students, staff, and many others whose lives he has basically destroyed. His power even pervaded his family members who broke criminal law with impunity - the sexual assault by his brother Pradeep Lal on a female FNU staff at the Labasa campus is a classic example.

If it were not for Victor Lal and his investigative journalism, there can be no doubt that FICAC would have shoved Ganesh's case under the carpet as it has done with the case of Neil Sharma and many others.

Full Marks Victor Lal - you are the real and true son of Fiji. Others would have turned a blind eye and mind their own business after being put into exile by dictators like bai-kai and coy. Shame on Fiji Times and Fiji Sun.

full marks, indeed

2/4/2015 09:49:42 pm

I too now wish to join the band wagon and give credit where credit is due - to Victor Lal and his guts in pursuing Chand and his co-conspirators with his "no one is above the law" style of investigative journalism.

The irony is that I have been studying journalism at FNU where we were lectured about the notions of investigative ethics - don't read garbage like Fijileaks and don't participate with a regime hater like Victor Lal whose only aim is to promote himself. How wrong!!

The charging of FNU's former VC who was well known for his corruption and abuse of office for decades is a salutary reminder that when the rule of law is abused with impunity by people like Chand, then the only way out is to resort to medium like Fijileaks - that's participative democracy in action.

Well done Victor - full marks to you indeed.

Totally Ashamed

2/4/2015 10:28:03 pm

I am not one of those who uses social media to express my views but the news that Mr Ganesh Chand has ultimately been charged by FICAC has changed my stance.

All I wish to say is that I am utterly ashamed of what has happened because Mr Chand is one of my best USP mates. We graduated together and later worked together under Dr John Samy.

I had rubbished the stories Fijileaks had published about Mr Chand in the past as attention seeking by someone who had been banished from Fiji - and had an axe to grind. I was damn wrong.

This is a classic case of fall from grace. Others must learn from it.

AGREE WITH IT ALL

3/4/2015 06:40:29 am

Yes, I agree with your sentiments. I too was dismissive of Victor Lal and his stories as gutter journalism but the charging of Ganesh Chand by FICAC for corruption and abuse of office makes me eat my own humble pie.

Thanks you Victor, you are indeed the fourth arm of Fiji Government - the media. It appears that the other 3 - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary have gone on long vacation!!!

NOT ALONE

3/4/2015 06:58:03 am

After scrutinising all the details on Fijileaks about this thug Ganesh Chand (son of Hira Lal of Labasa), it beggars belief whether he could have done what he did for decades alone. There must be others who were his house trained poodles and these are the very people that Fijileaks must now expose.

How can a VC approve payment for FNU chairman for overseas medical treatment without the entire Council and the cheque signatories knowing about it??

ME TOO

3/4/2015 02:24:55 pm

Yes, you make a very valid point, how could this thug operate alone in stealing millions from FNU??? That's impossible.

The whole pattern of the regime is "you scratch my back and I do yours". Fijileaks had mentioned earlier that Mahen Reddy, Uday Sen, Arvind Maharaj were all in it together with Chand. There may be others like the accountant Shalend Anand and others who are still working at FNU or left FNU after looting it dry.

Have a good look at this fella Ian Rouse - he doesn't look innocent either. Why would he work in Fiji for peanuts when he can get much more working overseas? Has anyone checked his papers???

All these people must be fully exposed and charged by FICAC.

Good work Victor Lal - why bother about Fiji Times and Sun for information when we have Fijileaks.

Western Heat

6/4/2015 01:58:30 pm

The case of the poor milkman from Koronivia whose employment was terminated because he wanted a fair compensation for his injuries is exactly how FNU under GC was operating. We know of this case and how he has been asked to do the run around to the FNU HQ and back to Koronivia...even to the Min of Labour Office at times and now he now drives a cab for a living - the cab stand is directly opposite the NTPC Campus at Narere. Other times he acts as a Pundit at the local temple just minutes down the road from this taxi base. We hear stories of him hardly getting a chance to meet VC or his Dean to discus about the workman's compensation. Another time, he told us that he attended the Min of Labour's Awareness Campaign at the Nausori Catholic Church Hall only to be told that he needed to sort out his case first with FNU before MOL could act on his claims...that awareness campaign we were told back then was to identify employees who were injured during working hours and were not paid the dues that were owed to them. This poor man even went to try and meet the former Minister for Labour but he has been running ever since - GC purposely evaded him and to this very day, we still drink kava with him at the base and hear of his sad stories of how FNU under GC ignored his plea and the pleas of other employees that they fired fro standing up to them...Thank you Victor for highlighting his case because for too long he has been ignored and we could not do anything because of the regimental structure that GC has put in place while he wa on shift at FNU....after all that he exits with a golden handshake of $0.5M...that is corruption at its highest and must be clipped ASAP...GO TO JAIL GC...do the crime..serve the time!!!!

Many lives destroyed

6/4/2015 11:26:00 pm

The sad story Western Heat mentions does not stand in isolation. My eldest sister was once employed by FNU as chand's PA and Executive Officer. After the death of our parents in a tragic car accident, we thought that a full time employment for our eldest sister was god sent as she was our only bread winner.

But within 3 weeks she was fired after refusing to sleep with this evil called ganesh chand. When she reported the matter to the police, the police mocked her instead. When she knocked the doors of ministry of labour, chand's crony sahadeo singh, FNU's then HR manager colluded with labour officer's to make our sister run around.
We later found out that singh was himself a former labour officer, sacked by the ministry for corruption.

Eventually our sister got so disillusioned that she did what we would have never envisaged - committing suicide. But we are told she is not alone. There are other victims, both dead and alive.

Melanine Whiting

7/4/2015 01:28:41 am

As a woman I am utterly shocked and dismayed to read the last 2 postings - Western Heat and Many lives destroyed. As a former Fiji citizen and public servant it makes me sick to my guts to know that a public servant like Mr Chand could abuse the office for so long with impunity. If this is the true state of affairs of FNU, then God save Fiji's academia and the august office of a VC.

Gagaj

8/4/2015 12:23:54 am

So much personnel injustices and destruction of personal / professional lives through the hands of Ganesh and his cronies because the system and prevailing government allowed it to happen. When the head is rotten, the whole body stinks and that is what FNU has been suffering since its inception. This current Govt. can do wonders with its powers and correct the wrongs it initiated by dismantling FNU, revert to individual vocational centres, create a mega technical training institute to rebuild our ailing workforce & technical expertise and help boost the capacities of USP and the Uni of Fiji in their provision of Academic prowess and excellence. This i believe is the only way to account for the 1% of gross income that all registered Employers in Fiji have been paying into the coffers of the FNU and from which Ganesh unashamedly built his empire. Redirect the training Grant & Levy system away from FNU and let the Employers decide how best to utilise the funds in pursuit of training Fiji. Just horrible how many have suffered in FNU and enough is enough, let's make do with just 2 unis. and help make them better and greater

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