BHAGAVAD GITA OF PARLIAMENTARIANS: The Statutory Declaration under the Political Parties Act 2013 is similar to the Holy Book. Elected MPs take the oath of office and are required to declare truthfully and honestly all their assets, incomes, and liabilities. If caught lying, they face a fine of $50,000 and ten years in prison.
*On 29 March 2014 Biman Prasad was elected NFP leader. On 28 July 2014, he filled out his first statutory declaration under the Political Parties Act. He lied that he was the sole proprietor of three houses. Prasad owned one only, and the other two he jointly owned with his USP lecturer wife Rajni Kaushal Chand.
*We recently unearthed his connection with Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd.
*He did not declare his link with Lotus (Fiji) nor his 5% share in the company that he was gifted by his cousin SUNIL CHAND.
*Worst, while he vaguely declared he held $85,000 worth of shares (no identity of the company or entity), he did not declare that he was co-DIRECTOR of Lotus (Fiji). Under the Political Parties Act, he was required by law to declare his directorship.
*It beggars belief that a former Professor of Economics at USP was not aware of it. How could he, when he had founded Lotus (Fiji) with Sunil Chand on 15 March 2014, and three days previously, on 12 March, he along with 18 investors (mostly Indo-Fijians living in Australia) had bought two off-the-plan villa units for $300,000 ($150,000 each).
*Biman Prasad did not declare the two villa units in his statutory declaration. Hence began a systematic pattern of lying in the statutory declarations for the next ten years, from 2014-2024.
*He was, therefore, rightly to be charged by FICAC until Barbara Malimali, allegedly assisted by a band of lawyers, prevented him from being arrested on 5 September 2024
*We repeat: FICAC must arrest, charge, and present Biman Prasad before a court in Fiji. His version of 'truth' does not 'reconcile' with facts in his statutory declarations under the Political Parties Act
*As we have pointed out in the past, the NFP provided Coupist Sitiveni Rabuka its support for him to become Prime Minister in 1994, and to rule for the next five years, under the racist and feudalistic 1990 Constitution of Fiji.
*The NFP-SVT formed a coalition to fight the 1999 election under the newly promulgated 1997 Constitution but failed to win any seats, with Biman Prasad trashed by his FLP political opponents at the poll.
*The NFP and its FIVE MPs only made it into Parliament because of the d'Hondt Electoral System in the 2013 Constitution of Fiji.
*The majority of Indo-Fijians voted for FFP and Biman Prasad was trounced by Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum in Prasad's northern stronghold.
*His parroting for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission is borne from the fact that there were NO NFP MPs held hostage by George Speight.
*For, in 1999 the party had failed to win any seats, including in the 2001 and the 2006 elections.
*The 2013 Constitution enabled NFP to enter Parliament with 5 MPs.
“We know that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission may be hard on some people. We also know that it will not solve every problem or resolve every grievance or hurt of the past. But we must begin this process. Only when we understand how we have been affected by our past can we, as a nation, work with confidence towards our future. I want to ask all members of NFP to support this process, to continue to support our government as we work to make Fiji better.”
BIMAN PRASAD must be arrested and charged for failing to declare in 2014 that his wife Rajni jointly owned two houses with him, that he had a 5% share in Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd, that he was co-director of Lotus (Fiji) and that he bought two villa units off-the-plan from Sunil Chand before the two formed Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd. We will continue with his other declarations later.
BIMAN PRASAD failed to declare in 2014 that his wife Rajni jointly owned two houses with him, that he had a 5% share in Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd, that he was co-director of Lotus (Fiji) and that he bought two villa units off-the-plan from Sunil Chand before the two formed Lotus Construction (Fiji) Ltd
We will continue with his 2015-2024 declarations later
The Political Parties Act required from Biman Prasad, his wife and children (if any) the following:
