Blog Posts

$33MILLION DIGGER SCAMMERS: "We, the three brothers, are NOT the WAF Digger Scammers", remonstrates Mohammed Sareem on Facebook

7/4/2021

Fijileaks: We must understand that the $33.7million is not only for digger hire. It's the TOTAL plant hire cost for the period of 15 months. So, it's for all machines, vehicles and equipment hired by WAF
Fijileaks to FICAC:
QUESTIONING SECRECY, DEMANDING UPDATE ON CASE IS
NOT SEDITION.
DIGGING THEIR POLITICAL GRAVEYARDS:
Sadly, Ben Padarath is in court because the useless Opposition Politicians were sitting on their backsides, not repeatedly demanding answers about $33million Water Authority Digger Scam. They will raise an issue and then disappear from the face of the earth regarding that issue. They never follow it up. Oops, except when it comes to Indo-Fijian sugarcane farmers. The NFP, like a dog with a bone, for example, will jump up and down demanding answers, for political mileage
We say: LET us BURY these useless parties at the 2022 ELECTION

"KPMG is a reputable and well-established firm in Fiji, and they would never have tabled a ‘half pie’ audit report involving an alleged $33.7 million scam. The audit would have contained enough information to virtually allow FICAC to move immediately and lay charges. So why has it taken them this long?
The tragedy of this case is that the $33 million that was either stolen or given to this unethical contractor is equal to 10,000 unemployed or under employed COVID19 affected workers receiving $825 per quarter for 12 months to help them and thier families survive. These acts of greed and self enrichment must never be allowed to continue and all citizens who currently enable, aid or abet this criminal behavior, must start to do the right thing now and and start saying NO! To remain silent means you are 'complicit' and a party to the fraud being done against your employer, your self, your family and all your fellow citizens. So STOP NOW!" - MICK BEDDOES

The former WAF Chief Executive Officer, Opetaia Ravai

Companies Act
Under the Companies Act, Directors appointed to Boards all have a fiduciary responsibility, and in the case of Government entities and institutions, the ultimate shareholders are the
taxpayers of Fiji.

The Companies Act spells out some of those responsibilities in: -
Sec 103 – to only exercise powers for the purposes for which they are conferred.
Sec 104 - Directors to act in good faith and promote the success of the company
Sec 105 the need for Board members to exercise ‘independent judgement’
Sec 106 the need to exercise reasonable care and diligence
Sec 107 to avoid situations in which a Director has or can have a direct or indirect interest in that it may possibly create a conflict with the company.
Sec 403 Which requires the company to lodge its annual returns with the registrar within 4 months after the end of the financial year.

According to information on the WAF website, the latest Annual Report is 2016. This means WAF has been in breach of Sec 403 for the past 3 years in a row, ever since the scam occurred. I have excluded 2020 which has been disrupted by COVID19.

Board Members:
With the exception of Ms Lynne Vaurasi and Mr Taitusi Vakadravuyca whose appointment dates I have yet to establish, other members including Mr Bhavesh Patel [Chairman] was appointed on 23rd April 2015, Mr Umarji Musa on 1st March 2015, Mr P. L. Munasinghe on 1st January 2015, Mr Hemant Kumar on 23rd April 2015 and Mr Kamal Gounder on 13th October 2016.

The majority of members have been in control of WAF for more than 5 years, having been reappointed for a second 3-year term and most of them serve on other Boards as well so are well versed with good business practice and ethics and the fiduciary responsibilities that each Director has under the Companies Act.

It is therefore not unreasonable for taxpayers to assume that all the Directors, have as part of their Individual and collective responsibility acted to ensure corporate governance, financial performance, risk management and strategic planning, good faith, independent judgement and reasonable care and diligence when managing and dispensing the $1.3 billion [Operations: $531.1 million & Capital: $787.5 million] allocated since 2014.

Which is why I find it highly irregular that 3 years after a KPMG special audit on the abuse itself in the WAF Plant Hire Division, which was tabled to the Board in August 2017, remains unresolved today?

KPMG is a reputable and well-established firm in Fiji, and they would never have tabled a ‘half pie’ audit report involving an alleged $33.7 million scam. The audit would have contained enough information to virtually allow FICAC to move immediately and lay charges. So why has it taken them this long?

I mean, from WAF’s own internal records, surely it would have a file copy of the contract with the company, details of the contractor, names and addresses of Directors and shareholders, copies of every cheque or online payment made over the 15 months to the contractor, names of every employee involved in processing and making those payments and the authorizing officers for every payment with their designated authority levels.

How on earth could a $33.7 million case of scam with an existing ‘contractor ‘which represented 17% of the total Capital grant for WAF in 2016-17 remain unresolved and still ongoing 3 years after a specific audit by KPMG was tabled with just a small note in the WAF 2016 Annual Report stating ‘The Matter is with FICAC’

My point is, aside from handing the matter over to FICAC, the Board had a responsibility and obligation to commence its own recovery process against the offending contractor and internal investigations to identify and remove staff who aided and abetted in the crime, armed with the details of the KPMG Audit report. Did they take any recovery action?

Or is this where the Board of WAF abdicated their responsibilities and washed their hands of the $33.7 million scam that occurred under their watch? Is this why there has not been any Annual report since 2016? The people need and are entitled to answers.

A week ago, my family hired a digger and the rate charged was $120 an hour with a minimum of a 2-hour hire. There was also a $70 reposition fee per day. Therefore for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week with 5 days reposition fees the total cost per week would be $5,175. So, a 15-month contract would cost $336,375. I accept there may be a variation in charges, but the difference would be minimal. Yet WAF paid out a staggering $33.3 million more for the work that 1 digger would normally cost to do. Daylight robbery!

Another way to explain this outrageous and unbelievable abuse is this. I sourced costs for diggers, and they were priced from $65,353 to $145,037. So, if we took the high price of $145, 037 per digger, it tells us that WAF could have purchased 232 diggers for the same price they overpaid to just hire 1 digger for 15 months.

The KPMG report also noted the following:
1. Contractors were being paid rates that were higher than those approved by the Board and Board approval for the increase was not sought.
2. A large steel track excavator was mainly used at the Natabua Wastewater Sewerage Plant for 6 months @ $80 per hour, when a smaller digger @ $45 per hour could have done the job and saved WAF and taxpayers $25,497.
3. A payment of $59,119.25 was paid out which included a [$38,427.51] or 65% over-payment.
4. A large rubber track excavator was hired at a higher rate for a contract, but a steel track excavator was noted doing the job resulting in a $10,285 over-payment.

This has to mean the mismanagement is widespread and yet in over 3 years there has been no communication from the Chairman and the Board on the progress of this case?

I am writing to the Board of the Water Authority of Fiji under the provisions of Sec 25 which allows us to Access to information and I will be asking them to:

1. All take full responsibility for this scam and resign their positions with immediate effect
2. Release the KPMG Audit Report on the scam so the facts can be known
3. Provide the public with the exact recovery measures WAF has taken to date to
a. Wind up the fraudulent contractor and recover the $33 million, including seizure of all their assets and cash.

Make these details public.
b. Apply for the owners passports to be surrendered and a ban on any outward travel put in place.

The tragedy of this case is that the $33 million that was either stolen or given to this unethical contractor is equal to 10,000 unemployed or under employed COVID19 affected workers receiving $825 per quarter for 12 months to help them and thier families survive.

These acts of greed and self enrichment must never be allowed to continue and all citizens who currently enable, aid or abet this criminal behavior, must start to do the right thing now and and start saying NO!

To remain silent means you are 'complicit' and a party to the fraud being done against your employer, your self, your family and all your fellow citizens.

So STOP NOW!

WAF and FFP Donors: Both Bhavesh Patel and Hemant Kumar Mehsuria donated thousands of dollars to Aiyaz Khaiyum's FijiFIRST Party

Fijileaks: FIT FOR WHAT?

MORE: This initial list was only the tip of the iceberg. Our new list revealed higher sums

MYSTERY of Goundar Shippings Shrinking Ferry LOMAIVITI Princes III. International Transport Workers Federation claims Lomaiviti Princess registered in Fiji 14 meters shorter than in Canada. ITWF demands Probe

6/4/2021

The Queen of Chilliwack* had a length of 114 meters and a gross tonnage of 5,011 gt and measured 114.8 meters long by 18.3 meters beam
In 2015 she was sold to Goundar Shipping of Fiji and renamed Lomaiviti Princess III. Now, while the Equasis data base still shows her gross tonnage as 5,011 gt, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) says that its inspectors have received information indicating that Goundar Shipping Limited may have registered the MV Lomaiviti Princess III* at 14 meters shorter and with a 2.431 lower gross tonnage that the vessel’s previous registration in Canada
The ITF says that “the paperwork discrepancy has meant the ferry has likely not received critical maintenance required for a vessel of its size, nor has it been staffed with crew of required skill and experience according to Fijian regulations and international rules.”
On Wednesday, March 24, an ITF inspector wrote to the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) officially raising the discrepancy:
“Should this information be accurate, and we suspect it is, then this raises red flags for the ITF,” the ITF’s Sarah Maguire wrote the MSAF.
“We believe this vessel and others in Goundar’s fleet are not operating safely, have not received dry dock, and are being operated by crew who are under-qualified.”
According to the ITF, Fiji’s regulations stipulate vessels of the Queen of Chilliwack*’s size need a larger, more qualified crew than vessels of the smaller size that, it says, Goundar registered the ship as with MSAF in 2015

My wife is financing all my investments in Fiji from Canada”
George 'Subarmani' Goundar, 30 September 2014, Fiji Sun

Goundar's fleet is considered old, and the seafarers felt unsafe with the lack of maintenance on the vessels (Credit: ITF)

Transport workers’ unions are welcoming reports that Fijian authorities have launched an investigation into Goundar Shipping’s ongoing abusive treatment of dozens of Filipino seafarers. The probe must cover all areas of Goundar’s ‘seafarer scam’ and lead to real change to be credible, the unions warn.

ITF Inspector Sarah Maguire said the seafarers deserved a thorough, transparent investigation after Fiji's biggest shipping company exploited them for more than a year

Last week, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) revealed Goundar had fired and abandoned three seafarers after the workers began asking local union representatives about their rights.

ITF investigations this week have uncovered that staff at Goundar Shipping tried to confiscate a number of seafarers’ passports and other documents upon beginning work with the company. It is alleged that the company would not allow the seafarers to work until they did so. Withholding travel documents and forcing persons to work under threat are both offences under Fiji’s human trafficking laws.

“We welcome news of a Police investigation into Goundar Shipping after so many months of inaction from Fijian authorities. But it is important that any investigation addresses the full list of allegations against Goundar Shipping. We’re talking human trafficking, slavery, deception, labour law violations, intimidation, the list goes on..,” said ITF Inspector Sarah Maguire.

“It’s clear now that more than 20 Filipino seafarers were lured to Fiji to operate an ageing ferry fleet under false pretences, only to find 50-70 percent lower wages, unsafe conditions and no return ticket home as promised by Goundar shipping and required under Fiji’s immigration laws. When they arrived, Goundar cut the seafarers’ pay further, undercounted their hours, and generally treated them with contempt.”

Goundar also cut workers’ food rations, eventually to just bread and tea, and pushed seafarers to work an unsafe number of hours, many of them without commensurate pay.

Messages show staff from Goundar Shipping telling seafarers to handover their travel documents. Withholding travel documents and forcing persons to work under threat are offences under Fiji’s human trafficking laws

Maguire said preliminary calculations by the ITF showed the seafarers had been paid as little as 75 cents per hour in recent months by Goundar for the hours they worked. At least one seafarer, a cook, had a take home pay of just 40 cents per hour. He was paid for just seven hours per week, despite working 98-hour weeks. Like many of Goundar’s workforce, he worked 14 hours a day, seven days a week.

The ITF estimates Goundar Shipping owes the seafarers collectively more than AUD $250,000 in unpaid wages.

“Goundar’s abusive tactics are not limited to taking passports – his illegal pay cuts kept these seafarers too poor to afford tickets home. They’re trapped there – working for a man they despise. And if they complain, his company sacks them and dumps them at the nearest port with absolutely nothing. They’re a million miles from home, with a Fijian government, which has so far failed to enforce their rights under the law,” said Maguire.

ITF working with Police investigation as new allegations revealed

On Tuesday the seafarers and their legal team met with officials from the Fiji’s immigration department and Human Rights Commission. For the first time, Fijian authorities confirmed that an active Police investigation has been launched into Goundar’s conduct.

It follows a months of the complaints being overlooked by Fijian officials. The seafarers had tipped off labour authorities in September 2020, and made official complaints with Police and the immigration in December 2020. When they received no response, another Police complaint was made on 5 January in the presence of the seafarers’ legal team. As recently as late February, Fijian government officials were denying that they had received complaints.

The ITF this week sent a letter to Permanent Secretary of Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s office detailing new allegations against Goundar Shipping that have been uncovered in recent days.

The ITF says that documents and testimonies indicate Goundar Shipping may have broken more Fijian laws than previously thought, as Goundar:

routinely docks seafarers’ pay for basic items like PPE (Personal Protective Equipment);
fails to provide basic hygiene necessities such as hand soap or laundry powder
refuses to give workers transparent payslips;
does not provide functioning fire and protective equipment onboard – severely endangering crew and passengers;
informed workers that they needed to sign a contract for another year before he will pay for their return flights.

The ITF’s Sarah Maguire said that the seafarers were brought to Fiji under the country’s laws, and it was the Fijian government’s responsibility to make sure their laws were enforced and lawbreakers punished.

“Fiji owes the victims justice by fully investigating every allegation made against Goundar and pushing for prosecution in every area where laws have been broken. A thorough, transparent investigation is what these seafarers deserve after Fijian officials failed to act for so long over the abuse rampant in their biggest shipping company,” she said.

Goundar’s ongoing treatment of seafarers embarrassing Fiji

In the ITF’s letter on Monday to the Office of the Prime Minister and Minister for Immigration, who are both Voreqe Bainimarama, and his top officials, the global union federation said that Goundar Shipping’s conduct was now embarrassing Fiji on the world stage.

“This is a test for the Fijian government, and the whole world is watching. Are employers made to honour their obligations and promises to workers in Fiji, or can they get off the hook without paying what’s owed under Fijian law? The answer will send a message to workers, employers and would-be scammers. It’s time to crack down on crooks like Goundar – make them pay,” said the ITF’s Maguire.

Seven of the Filipino 20 seafarers Goundar brought to Fiji under its scamming operation are still currently abandoned without income and housing in Suva. All of the seafarers, including those still working for the company, want to go home after months of being over-contract.

Goundar this week told nine of the remaining seafarers it employs that it would finally arrange flights for them.

However, the shipping company is refusing to pay for quarantine and Covid PCR testing as part of the repatriation, meaning the impoverished seafarers will likely remain stranded in Fiji. A PCR test is worth about $300 Fijian Dollars (or $190 AUD).

Goundar case opportunity to update Fiji’s migrant worker laws – seafarers’ lawyer

The exposure of Goundar’s scam provides an opportunity for the Fiji Government to update its laws to prevent other migrant workers from being abused by employers, said lawyer Adrienne Ali of InterAlia Consultancy, who is leading the seafarers’ legal case in Suva.

“The only logical conclusion from the facts of this matter is that Goundar Shipping sought to reduce its labour costs and employee complaints by going to another jurisdiction and sourcing foreign workers, who are often cheaper, more compliant, and unrepresented by unions,” said Ali.

“Migrant workers can be desperate for work, making it difficult for them to reject unfair treatment and conditions once they arrive in the country – especially if they’re being told they have to pay for flights home. That’s why we need a system that supports their ability to speak up when employers are doing something wrong, like by having a dedicated local liaison or representative that migrant workers can get advice from.”

Ms Ali said another issue that needed to be addressed was that migrant workers were in a different category from Fiji citizens under current laws. For example, if something went wrong at work, the migrant worker would be deported, even if it was their employer who acted unlawfully. That can make migrant workers hesitant to speak up.

Fijian citizens have direct access to regulatory authorities, legal advice and support, she said, whereas migrant workers without sufficient knowledge of Fiji’s laws and regulations faced communication and confidence barriers.

Ensuring the Filipino seafarers could overcome those barriers to get home is why Ms Ali became involved in their case late last year.

She went with the seafarers on Tuesday to support them in registering their complaints with the Fiji Police Force, the Fiji Immigration Department, the Ministry of Employment, and the Fiji Human Rights Commission.

But she said that even when complaints are lodged by victimised workers, getting redress is often unsuccessful due to the historical requirement to be present within country to continue to be a complainant and testify in court.

“I’ve worked on similar cases that have lost traction once the workers left Fiji, and the employers in those cases were never held to account. Thankfully, the Government is revising these laws as we speak to make it possible for workers to continue their complaints even once they have left Fiji. Currently, workers have to physically stay in the country for months or years awaiting their day in court,” she said.

“These seafarers are extremely lucky to have an advocate in their union representatives here and overseas, who can support them and their cause during this time. They’ve also had a lot of support from the local Filipino community, helping them to avoid sleeping on the streets. I know they are thankful for that support.”

“Without the Government having a dedicated authority or liaison officer for migrant workers, it took having to get a local lawyer involved to get traction in this case from officials, meanwhile the seafarers are stuck here without financial support. It’s exhausting and stressful for them and understandably they’re desperate to return home,” said Ali.

TO BE CONTINUED

ITF: Seafarers take a video of Goundar's ship to show the world the unsafe conditions they have been expected to work in by the company

BLIND TO BRUTALITY: The former Colonel who punched Marist Brothers student nearly blinding HIM in the left EYE is Head of SECURITY at the Australian High Commission in Fiji. Diplomats don't give toss to Brutality

5/4/2021

Student too scared to reveal his whole face to the world

Fiji's Blind Justice: Ex-Colonel yet to be charged for vicious assault

GLORIYING BRUTAL RFMF Goons

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION IN FIJI SENDS TORTURER QILIHO TO LONDON
"I was physically tortured and had hot water poured over me by Sitiveni Qilihio"

"I, Ben Padarath was tortured at the RFMF's Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Suva, Fiji in February 2011. The soldiers who assaulted me included Sitiveni Qilihio. I was physically tortured and had hot water poured over me by Sitiveni Qilihio. My whole left arm was broken from my wrist to my shoulder, this arm I still can't lift above my head to this very day. During the assault as I lay on the ground in much pain and blood, Qiliho continued to kick me and used the butt of a gun to break my left wrist.
I was beaten up at the camp for 3 days straight, drifting in and out of consciousness and once when I awoke, there was a military doctor checking my wounds and I heard him tell Qiliho, Penioni (Ben) Naliva and Aseri Rokoura to get me out of the camp as soon as possible or I could die in custody and the military would then be held responsible. I was then taken to Totogo Police Station where the Officer in Charge refused to take me into custody because of my wounds and he told the military personnel to take me to the hospital. They did, where I was admitted into the Extensive Care Unit. I spent many weeks at the CWM Hospital before I was finally released."

"LCDR NAUPOTO is also be to be charged for not limiting the roughening up to a certain degree that could be easily controlled. He is to be charged under Section 69 of the Army Act 1955, Conduct to the Prejduice of Good Order and Military Discipline. It is also recommended that he should be admonished for the maintenance of morale in the Naval Unit and the technicality arising out of the lack of foresight at higher level of command of the improper management of the Military Police in the transportation of the State detainees to Nukulau"
Board of Inquiry Report, August 2000, on George Speight & Associates

Fijileaks: We shouldn't be making a big song and dance regarding the US 2020 Human Rights Report on Fiji. Previous reports also highlighted violations, but the diplomats continue to ball grease the FFP government

Fiji Labour Party questions EFL’s decision to withdraw a 52% subsidy on first 100 units of electricity used per month by its domestic consumers. EFL has, without explanation, withdrawn commitment effective 1st April

4/4/2021

Fiji Labour Party has questioned EFL’s decision to withdraw a 52% subsidy on the first 100 units of electricity used per month by its domestic consumers.

The EFL subsidy was worth $17.67 (52%) per month while the government contributed $16.34 (48%), making a total of $34.01c in monthly subsidy.

While the government subsidy continues, EFL has, without explanation, withdrawn its commitment effective 1st April.

The subsidy was initiated to assist the people in a situation of severe economic downturn following the Covid pandemic.

“The Labour Party is satisfied that EFL has the financial capacity to continue the subsidy, and should do so, as a responsible public sector corporate organization, until economic conditions improve,” said Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry.

“The Party is apprehensive that the withdrawal of the subsidy may be a sign of things to come now that the government has embarked on a partial privatization of EFL,” he said.

#Fuel and #CookingGas prices up

Mr Chaudhry also expressed concern at the rapidly rising prices of fuel and cooking gas.

“The increases announced in the April review by the FCCC are enormous, coming on the heels of similar hikes last month,” he said.

In the two months from 1st February to 1st April the following price increases have been allowed by FCCC: (Viti Levu prices – people outside pay more)

Motor Spirit from $1.94 - $2.24 - 30c per litre
Diesel from $1.61 - $1.86 - 25c per litre
Kerosene from $1.08 - 1.43 - 35c per litre
Cooking Gas (13kg) cylinder from $36.17 - $40.94 - $4.77
Bulk Gas from $ 2.33 - $2.64 - 31c per kg

“Fiji Labour Party believes that the profit margins allowed the oil and gas companies and their intermediaries need to be reviewed in the context of the current economic and market conditions, and in the public interest.

“A promised review by FCCC late last year of the current price determination template and methodology has not eventuated.

“We urge that this be completed without any further delay as the current trends in the prices of these commodities appear to militate against the public interest,” Mr Chaudhry said..

RFMF "BUTURAKI" CULTURE and MARIST ASSAULT VICTIM: Sources tell us that the assailant is former Colonel HENRY 'MAC' MANULEVU, the PRESIDENT of the Marist Brothers High School OLD Boys Association

3/4/2021

SINKING DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO CONTROVERSY: As GOUNDAR Shipping Ltd is accused of falsifying safety documents, concerns over passenger safety & mistreating Filipino crew, we raised Red Flag in 2016

2/4/2021

From Fijileaks Archives, 2016:

“We are growing. In three years, we have made three major investments and our plan is to invest $10 million in Fiji. My wife is financing all my investments in Fiji from Canada” -
George 'Subarmani' Goundar,
30 September 2014, Fiji Sun.

Fijileaks: In 2016, when we confronted him with evidence that, on 17 July 2014, Goundar Shipping Ltd had obtained over $2million in loan from the BANK OF SOUTH PACIFIC Ltd, he tersely told us to: "Mind Your Own Business."
We had called his bluff, informing him that he was lying when he stated that it was his wife INDRA GOUNDAR who was bankrolling his shipping empire from Canada

We wonder if the $2million obtained from the Bank of the South Pacific in July 2014 was transferred into the account of N & J Mechanical Distributors in Canada. This company was registered in August 2014. His wife Indra Goundar was Assistant Secretary of the Canadian company that purchased the Queen of Chilliwack and sold it onto to Goundar

Date: Sun, Jan 24, 2016 at 6:17 PM
Subject: N & J Mechanical
To: "editor@fijileaks.com"
Good day.
This is the corporate disclosure record of N & J Mechanical Distributors, the company which sold the Queen of Chilliwack to Mr. Goundar. I do not know the relationship between him and the Assistant Secretary of the Company, Indra Goundar.‎
Fijileaks: Indra Goundar is Goundar's wife; the Canadian documents were provided to us by a British Columbia Member of Parliament

NFP ON BEN PADARATH'S DETENTION: 'There must be Good Reasons for depriving a person of their liberty'; Padarath locked up until 8 April

2/4/2021

The power to detain

BIMAN: THERE MUST BE GOOD REASONS FOR DEPRIVING A PERSON OF THEIR LIBERTY

“We note that Mr Padarath has been charged by FICAC. We do not know the facts in connection with those charges and we do not comment on the charges or any of the matters in connection with the charges.

However we are concerned at the manner in which people are repeatedly arrested and detained, including for minor issues such as curfew breaches and whether by FICAC or Police. There must always be good reasons for depriving a person of their liberty. Not even a person suspected of a crime should be detained unless the investigators honestly believe that the suspect is a flight risk or there is some other good reason for it.

“Fiji law enforcement agencies – including the Police when enforcing curfew breaches – seem to believe that they have a right to detain people for 48 hours any time they want. That is not true. That right exists only if it is necessary to use it.

“The Fiji Human Rights Commission has refused to speak up on these repeated breaches of human rights, which have affected literally thousands of people since the curfew was enforced.

“It is also the job of the Attorney-General and other Government law officers, including the Legal Aid Commission, to speak up. They too are supposed to protect people from loss of their rights. But they stay silent.
“Why? Because the Government no longer has the support of the people. So it prefers to rule using fear as a weapon of control.”

Professor Biman Prasad
Leader
National Federation Party
(Fiji Times - Friday 2 April 2021)

$33MILLION COCK UP or CUNNING TACTIC: Suva Anti-Corruption Court magistrate rules he has no juridisction to try BEN PADARATH in Suva so FICAC must present him in Lautoka. Padarath remanded until 8th APRIL

1/4/2021

Fijileaks: FICAC acted swiftly to arrest Padarath and his partner, lock them up, and bring him all the way to Suva. So, why can't FICAC present Padarath in the Lautoka Magistrates Court before 8 April? Where are the Easter JOKESTERS like NFP? Why no statement from the party?
VINAKA Lynda Tabuya and Filimoni Vosarogo for standing up for Padarath. We must always listen to lawyer turned rebel GANDHI

Drawing of Mahatma Gandhi in prison in South Africa 1908

ULTIMATE SACRIFICE @EASTER: IT's PADARATH and not POLITICIANS

FIRE AND FUEL: Too lamu to stoke $33m firestorm so sticking to FUEL

Thursday 1st April 2021

NFP statement on 20 cents per litre extra duty on FUEL. For God's sake, the missing $33million of TAXPAYERS MONEY is equally pressing, if not more important to the struggling Fijians of all races in Fiji

Government must show compassion and fulfil its obligatory social responsibility by immediately removing the 20 cents per litre extra duty on fuel imposed from 1st April last year, said National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad.

Professor Prasad said the extra fuel tax is now having a crippling effect due to the escalating price of fuel following the latest hike from today.

“The price of motor spirit is $2.24 per litre, kerosene price has increased by 15 cents per litre, price of cooking gas has increased by $1.72 per 12 kg cylinder. This will severely hurt the pockets of ordinary and poor people”.

“For the ordinary people, kerosene price has increased by 35 cents per litre with the last two monthly increases and cooking gas has increased by $4.40 for a 12 kg cylinder. The price of motor spirit increased by 25 cents in the last two hikes”.

“On 26th March,2020, while delivering the Covid-19 Response Budget, the Minister for Economy justified the imposition of the 20 cents per litre extra duty by saying the fuel prices were at their lowest due to dramatic reductions in world fuel price”.

“He had then stated that despite the imposition of the additional tax, people would still enjoy one of the lowest prices in the world. This has evaporated into thin air”.

“We have had about four successive hikes to the price of fuel, resulting in motor spirit costing people $2.13 as well as rises to other fuel products”.

“Now that the world fuel price has risen, contributing to significant increases locally, it is only fair that the 20 cents per litre extra duty is immediately removed”.

“It is the duty of any government to pass on the benefits of any price reduction to the people as part of its social obligation. For 11 months now, this government has extracted extra revenue by imposing duty due on low fuel price”.

“Therefore, people never fully benefitted from the low fuel price”.

“The latest hike makes fuel prices exorbitant and unaffordable specially in an economically depressed climate. It has a flow-on effect and will also increase delivery of services and cost of doing business which directly or indirectly are reliant on fuel and gas”.

“We are aware of the Minister’s public statement that he made from Singapore at the beginning of March, saying the NFP should make submissions via budget consultations and not play populist politics by asking for the removal of the additional tax”.

“Seeking relief for the ordinary people of Fiji at a time when they are struggling to maintain their livelihood and put food on the table is not populist politics but our moral and ethical duty to do so”.

“Cabinet Ministers are not severely affected by the hike. Apart from their private trips, they don’t have to pay for fuel for their Government Prado’s. The taxpayers fund their fuel bills”.

“Government now must do the right thing by the people and immediately remove the 20 cents per litre extra tax, which is becoming a financial burden on ordinary people and small businesses, which are struggling to survive”.

Authorised by:

Professor Biman Prasad
Leader

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION VOWS TO CRACK DOWN ON CORRUPTION AROUND THE WORLD, and FIJI is NOT EXEMPT. FICAC Deputy Chief Rashmi Aslam re-tweets message only to go and charge Ben Padarath

1/4/2021

In the 2020 US Human Rights Report Fiji, among all our PIF members, had come out the worst in its record of human rights violations and deserves to be left out of any international gatherings of world leaders. Palau, therefore, fully deserves to represent the Pacific Region in the April Climate talks in Washington. Frank Bainimarama should instead stay at home and focus on addressing the various forms of human rights violations contained in this country report. Meanwhile, Biden Administration's fight against worldwide CORRUPTION:

Last month, the US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken launched the International Anti-Corruption Champions Award to recognize individuals who have demonstrated leadership, courage, and impact in preventing, exposing, and combating corruption. FICAC's Deputy Commissioner RASHMI ASLAM was very quick to re-tweet the US State Department announcement, with links, but a month later he is trying to muffle those who want to know the status of WAF $33m Digger Scam, in this instance by charging BEN PADARATH with bogus crime of sedition

"Under the Biden Administration, the State Department is committed to preventing and combating corruption globally. Corruption’s impact on the quality of governance, security, and economic stability is well understood. It erodes the trust and confidence of citizens in their public institutions and puts an anchor around the neck of developing economies...The State Department continues to stand by citizens around the world calling for transparent, accountable governments. We proudly recognize these international champions of anticorruption and all those who have taken a stand against corruption." US State Department

Under the Biden Administration, the State Department is committed to preventing and combating corruption globally. Corruption’s impact on the quality of governance, security, and economic stability is well understood. It erodes the trust and confidence of citizens in their public institutions and puts an anchor around the neck of developing economies.
Corruption is an international problem that requires an international solution. According to a 2018 United Nations study, $1 trillion is paid in bribes every year, while an estimated $2.6 trillion are stolen annually through corruption. This is an amount equivalent to more than five percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP). In developing countries, funds lost to corruption are estimated at 10 times the amount of official development assistance.
The United States will continue to lead the effort to combat the scourge of corruption. We were the first country to criminalize foreign bribery, and, in partnership with foreign counterparts, have recovered and returned over $1 billion in stolen public assets in the past two years. We also use a range of tools to promote accountability for corrupt individuals globally. In 2020 alone, we publicly designated and denied entry into the United States to over 41 corrupt foreign officials and immediate family members and sanctioned 14 individuals and entities in connection with corruption under the Global Magnitsky Sanctions program. We are asking other countries to use similar tools to isolate kleptocrats and corrupt officials.
The United States, along with many other nations, ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption in 2006. Since then, the State Department has strengthened these international norms, developed best practices, built and strengthened government institutions, supported global efforts to strengthen fiscal transparency, sanctioned corrupt officials, and supported journalists and non-government actors that promote transparency and hold leaders accountable. We are proud of this record, but we recognize much more needs to be done. We cannot win the fight against corruption alone.
To demonstrate our continued commitment to this issue, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken launched the International Anticorruption Champions Award to recognize individuals who have demonstrated leadership, courage, and impact in preventing, exposing, and combating corruption. This award advances our support of anticorruption leaders and innovators. We hope you will join us in celebrating these champions of anticorruption, and in recognizing all those who fight for accountability, transparency, the rule of law, and press freedom.

Ardian Dvorani, Judge and Member of the Justice Appointments Council, is a key proponent of reforming Albania’s judicial system. Judge Dvorani developed mechanisms to reduce political and criminal influence in the justice system, steps that contributed to the EU’s decision in March to open negotiations for Albania’s accession. Judge Dvorani was also an essential member of the group of experts who developed the vision and legal provisions for Albania’s justice reform, helping to combat corruption and protect Albania’s nascent judicial institutions after sweeping constitutional changes to Albania’s justice sector in 2016. His insight led to constitutional protections for Albania’s new anticorruption body, the Special Structure Against Organized Crime and Corruption.
Diana Salazar, Ecuador’s Attorney General, prosecuted some of the Andean region’s highest-profile corruption cases, demonstrably improved the anticorruption atmosphere in Ecuador, and served as a hero to judges, lawyers, and prosecutors throughout South America. Salazar’s courageous actions in tackling these cases have made immense contributions to transparency and the rule of law in Ecuador.
Sophia Pretrick, Investigative Advisor for the Compliance Investigation Division of the Pohnpei State Auditor of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), almost single-handedly raised the profile of anticorruption activities in the FSM through her unique blend of government intervention and grassroots advocacy. In 2009, Pretrick developed and launched the Fraud Awareness Program, a public awareness and education program with outreach to government officials, employees, schools, women and girls, NGOs, and the general public. The program includes activities to promote the values and benefits of the Public Auditor’s Offices and their role in anti-fraud and anticorruption work. In March 2019, Pretrick and the Office of the Pohnpei State Public Auditor teamed up with Youth-4-Change, an NGO that addresses concerns such as health, teen pregnancy, and anticorruption activities. The resulting pop song has been played on local radio for over 18 months and reached thousands of youth with its message about the role each person plays in fighting corruption.
Juan Francisco Sandoval Alfaro, Chief of the Special Prosecutors Office Against Corruption and Impunity in Guatemala, has succeeded in battling persistent and systemic corruption in Guatemala. He was instrumental in the investigation and conviction of former President Alfonso Portillo and two ministers on charges relating to money laundering and the embezzlement of $15 million. Mr. Sandoval has been subject to threats and attempts to tarnish his reputation as a result of his work.
Ibrahima Kalil Gueye of Guinea is the Chair and cofounder of the Organization for Positive Change, an NGO focusing on good governance, peace, and education. He combats corruption by ensuring transparency – educating the public on official fees for government services and national and citizen budget allocations. As Coordinator of the National Marathon of Governance, he traveled 5,500 kilometers over mostly dirt roads in 43 days to share information with almost 2,300 fellow citizens about their rights and legal options. Mr. Kalil is also a winner of the 2020 Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Impact Award, a United Nations Young Peacebuilder in West Africa, and a European Commission One Young World Ambassador Scholar.
Anjali Bhardwaj has served as an active member of the Right to Information Movement in India for over two decades. She is also the founder of Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS), a citizens’ group with a mandate to promote transparency and accountability in government and encourage active participation of citizens. Under her leadership, SNS created legislative report cards that tracked the performance of representatives across a series of categories, defining roles and responsibilities in their capacity as public servants. Additionally, Bhardwaj is a convener of the National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information, which successfully advocated for the creation of an anticorruption ombudsman and the Whistle Blowers’ Protection Act, offering protection to those who expose corruption and abuse of power.
Dhuha A. Mohammed, Director General for Electronic Payments at the Central Bank of Iraq, has prevented payroll fraud by working to make Iraq’s payroll system more transparent. Starting in 2017, she designed and led a Central Bank of Iraq initiative to establish a country-wide credit card infrastructure that facilitates e-payments. These digitized payments establish for the first time an auditable trail, enabling the Government of Iraq to carry out the difficult but critical ongoing mission of purging ghost workers from its payrolls. In a country where exposing corruption can risk death threats and violence, Ms. Mohammed remains committed to principles of integrity and has weathered repeated attacks on her character.
Bolot Temirov, investigative journalist and editor-in-chief of Factcheck.kg, is one of the most effective and influential anticorruption advocates in the Kyrgyz Republic. For more than a decade, his investigative reporting has helped to expose corruption in the public and private sectors. As chief editor of Factcheck.kg, he directed the publication of a series of reports on individuals involved in a large-scale international money laundering and smuggling operation. As a result of his work, political leaders were forced to acknowledge the extent of endemic corruption to an unprecedented degree.
Mustafa Abdullah Sanalla, Chairman of Libya’s National Oil Corporation, played an integral role in protecting Libya’s natural resources, the country’s economic lifeline, from predatory internal and external actors during waves of conflict. While leading the National Oil Corporation, he has dedicated himself to ensuring that Libya’s oil continues to generate revenue for the benefit of all Libyans.
Victor Sotto, Mayor of Pasig, The Philippines, is a standard-bearer for a new generation of Philippine politicians who prioritize anticorruption and transparency initiatives in their election campaigns and in office. In 2019, Sotto, then a 29-year-old city councilor, defeated an incumbent mayor whose family had ruled the city for 27 years. Sotto’s prior work on the city council resulted in freedom of information legislation that allowed city residents to request documents without having to provide a justification – the first such law in the Metro Manila area. Sotto has sought to solidify his reputation as a fresh voice with a new, more transparent approach to governance. He pledged to avoid any kickbacks in the awarding of city contracts, established a 24/7 public information and complaints hotline, formally involved civil society organizations in the city’s budgeting and policy making, and mandated that the value of all city government contracts be reduced by at least 10 percent – a measure intended to reduce bribery in the contract awarding process.
Francis Ben Kaifala has demonstrated strong leadership as the Commissioner of Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which has implemented a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy resulting in investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of public officials from both the current Sierra Leone People’s Party administration and the previous All People’s Congress-led government. The ACC has also seized a significant amount of stolen assets (including money, property, and vehicles) and returned them to the government for legitimate public purposes. Under Kaifala‘s leadership, in 2019 the ACC spearheaded a successful effort to amend and strengthen Sierra Leone’s anticorruption law. Coinciding with Kaifala’s tenure, Sierra Leone has steadily improved in global corruption indices, including those of Transparency International (up 10 places in 2019 from its 2018 ranking) and the Afrobarometer, a measure of public confidence in anticorruption efforts, up 26 percent from 2018.
Ruslan Ryaboshapka pioneered the restructuring of the prosecutorial service in Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office, embarking upon an innovative process to recertify Ukraine’s thousands of public prosecutors and dismiss those deemed corrupt or ineffectual. The initiative has continued under his successor, despite constant attacks by vested interests. Ryaboshapka’s vetting procedures are considered by the international community to have been a critical first step in establishing the independence of the Ukrainian Office of the Prosecutor General. In previous government positions, he instituted legal frameworks that established Ukraine’s anticorruption infrastructure, leaving a powerful and enduring legacy that has strengthened Ukraine’s ongoing fight against corruption.

The State Department continues to stand by citizens around the world calling for transparent, accountable governments. We proudly recognize these international champions of anticorruption and all those who have taken a stand against corruption.

FACE TRUTH FICAC: We have asked FICAC when will it take FFP Double DONORS into custody. Does that mean we are guilty of SEDITION? Ben Padarath wanted to know why $33m Digger Scam case is taking so long!

31/3/2021

For the charge of sedition, Padarath is alleged to have done an act with seditious intention or uttered seditious words by posting information pertaining to an ongoing FICAC investigation on Facebook, with an intention to bring into hatred or excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Fiji.

THE $33m Fiji Water Authority Digger Scam took place under the watch of the FFF donors sitting on the Fiji Water Authority Board. Bhavesh Patel, the owner of FijiFirst HQ building in Suva, and FFP donor, is the chairman of the WAF.
Following Ben Padarath's Facebook postings, FICAC should have issued a press release updating us about the progress of its investigations and whether it ever took into custody any of those involved in the $33m scam or even questioned them. Instead, the thugs went at midnight to arrest Padarath and his partner, FLP assistant general secretary

Who will CHARGE Coupist Kubuabola and the Fiji Sun* for demanding answers from the United States Embassy in Fiji why Coupist Bainimarama was snubbed?
Who will ask FICAC why no one has been charged over the Rewa Dairy Scam? Now, it is very clear why Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum gave FICAC unbridled powers? To silence opponents.

WHO WILL CHARGE AIYAZ KHAIYUM FOR LYING THAT HE WAS NOT THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THE 1987 BOMBINGS?
*THIS LATEST SAGA STRENGTHENS OUR CALL TO ENSURE THAT THE OTHER THUG SITIVENI RABUKA MUST NEVER BE ALLOWED TO RULE FIJI. THE RACIST B*****D STARTED IT ALL IN 1987

Fiji Labour Party demands release of Two Party activists

“We denounce the manner in which the arrests were made at night, and without any reasons given for it. The couple’s children have been left completely traumatised by the incident. If the two had to be questioned about anything, it should have been done during the day and the families informed about what was happening. This kind of Gestapo-like operations must be condemned outright."
FLP leader Mahendra Chaudhry

Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry has called for the immediate release of FLP assistant secretary-general Taina Rokotabua and her partner party activist Ben Padarath, reportedly arrested by FICAC on Monday night and Tuesday.

Mr Padarath was arrested on Monday night and Ms Rokotabua the next day, Tuesday.

Police have denied any involvement in the arrest. Mr Chaudhry’s attempts to speak to FICAC’s deputy commissioner Reshmi Aslam about the incident have been unsuccessful.

The two have not been heard of since they were taken in following a raid on their Lautoka home on Monday night. According to a report in the Fiji Times, their mobile phones were also confiscated by the authorities.

Mr Chaudhry said the arrests must be soundly condemned. “We denounce the manner in which the arrests were made at night, and without any reasons given for it. The couple’s children have been left completely traumatised by the incident.

"If the two had to be questioned about anything, it should have been done during the day and the families informed about what was happening. This kind of Gestapo-like operations must be condemned outright," Mr Chaudhry said.

Mr Padarath was recently active in organizing a protest march in Suva against the draft Police Bill and had applied to the authorities for approval for the march. It was called off after PM Bainimarama retracted the draft Bill, saying it had not received Cabinet approval. The incident, however, has nothing to do with FICAC.

We are unaware of any reason why Ms Rokotabua and Mr Padarath should have been arrested and detained for so long without being charged.

The Party has engaged legal counsel to deal with the case.

"For the charge of sedition, [BEN] Padarath is alleged to have done an act with seditious intention or uttered seditious words by posting information pertaining to an ongoing FICAC investigation on Facebook, with an intention to bring into hatred or excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Fiji.".
Fijileaks: Is FICAC telling us that from now onwards any political party that wants further answers to ongoing investigations will be committing SEDITION and Perverting the Course of Justice?

REGIME TOAD: This Fiji Sun regime toad was implying, even before Padarath was charged, that one of the postings was from fake account. Its not FAKE ACCOUNT. He says "a convicted felon" - meaning Padarath. Have you ever read Fiji Sun describing Bainimarama as a COUPIST?

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