2016, London. FINALLY, after three decades of co-operation, we met in person for the first time over beer and his favourite fish and chips
"Russell Hunter was an anti-Indian facist... His reporting in 1999 and 2000 clearly demostrates that... But he was deported in 2008.. MPC had his pound of flesh.... lol."
Dr GANESH CHAND, February 2021, in leaked WhatsApp 'Private Group Chat'
"Sigh. It’s sad isn’t it? I was never anti-Indian as I’m sure my record shows. I was most definitely anti-corruption which was what brought me into conflict with Chaudhry.", Russell Hunter to Fijileaks Founding Editor-in-Chief
Fijileaks: The former FLP Cabinet Minister Dr Ganesh Chand was the key figure who had analysed Chaudhry's tax files for us and had also coined the term "DAAKU", referring to Chaudhry, that we deployed in our exchanges on 'Taxgate'. His colleague, the late ANAND SINGH (RIP), the former FLP Attorney-General guided us through the legal loopholes in our pursuit of Mahendra Chaudhry's millions. In the end, the two betrayed us - JUDAS!
Sadly, Russell Hunter did not live to read the accusations now being hurled by Mahendra Chaudhry, Aiyaz Khaiyum, and Frank Bainimarama at each other over our revelation of Chaudhry's $2million that he was hiding in Australia. In fairness to Frank Bainimarama, he never went for Fiji Sun nor for Russell Hunter after the December 2006 coup until Chaudhry became Interim Cabinet Minister
Dr GANESH CHAND, February 2021, in leaked WhatsApp 'Private Group Chat'
"Sigh. It’s sad isn’t it? I was never anti-Indian as I’m sure my record shows. I was most definitely anti-corruption which was what brought me into conflict with Chaudhry.", Russell Hunter to Fijileaks Founding Editor-in-Chief
Fijileaks: The former FLP Cabinet Minister Dr Ganesh Chand was the key figure who had analysed Chaudhry's tax files for us and had also coined the term "DAAKU", referring to Chaudhry, that we deployed in our exchanges on 'Taxgate'. His colleague, the late ANAND SINGH (RIP), the former FLP Attorney-General guided us through the legal loopholes in our pursuit of Mahendra Chaudhry's millions. In the end, the two betrayed us - JUDAS!
Sadly, Russell Hunter did not live to read the accusations now being hurled by Mahendra Chaudhry, Aiyaz Khaiyum, and Frank Bainimarama at each other over our revelation of Chaudhry's $2million that he was hiding in Australia. In fairness to Frank Bainimarama, he never went for Fiji Sun nor for Russell Hunter after the December 2006 coup until Chaudhry became Interim Cabinet Minister
"Rabuka? He's certainly a changed man - but still a racist at heart..." Russell Hunter, June 2021, always spoke his mind without fear or favour
Fijileaks: We will bring more on his life and work as a journalist in Fiji, including the inside story on how we brought "Daaku's" $2million that he was hiding in Australia into the public domain. Russell Hunter's most recent collaboration was to try and bring the MASTER TORTURER SITIVENI QILIHO to JUSTICE in the United Kingdom. As we recently pointed out, unlike the late Hunter and Professor Brij Lal, Qiliho's Fijian victims inside Fiji suddenly ran away from our human rights lawyers, allowing this BRUTAL THUG to head back to Fiji with 'Diploma of Shame'
Fiji Sun's Leone Cabenatabua
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Re Affidavit on SITIVENI QILIHO
RUSSELL DOUGLAS HUNTER
I was at my home in Ragg Avenue, Suva, on a Saturday evening in late January or early February in 2007.
At the time I was editor-in-chief of the Fiji Sun which had taken a strong editorial line against the Bainimarama coup of the previous December.
The editor of the Fiji Sun (Leone Cabenatabua) had published what I considered a frivolous but harmless article on Bainimarama in that day’s paper.
About 6.30pm I received a call on my cell phone from a Fijian male announcing himself as Major Sitiveni Qiliho, chief of staff of the army.
He wasted no time in demanding an apology for the above mentioned article which had been “lifted” from a New Zealand publication.
He said if I did not cause an apology to be published the next day he was “coming to get you”. He insisted that nothing short of a full apology on the front page would suffice and repeated (twice more) that he would be “coming to get you” at first light if that did not happen.
I had not met Major Qiliho but was aware of his reputation as a thuggish bully. I was aware of credible allegations that he had been involved in beatings and torture of critics of the regime. Throughout the period of the call I could hear the sounds of drinking and slurred voices in the background. I was not convinced of Qiliho’s sobriety. Nevertheless I was also aware that, even if he was in a condition to “come and get you at first light”, he would not arrive alone.
I then called the editor of the Fiji Sun who was very obviously in a state of fear. He had also been threatened with violence by Qiliho who he had passed on to me. The editor was in genuine fear for his safety and even his life.
I was not certain that Qiliho would harm me, a foreign citizen, but I shared the editor’s fears. As a Fiji citizen he was very much at the mercy of the military which by then had total control of the state and was the sole arbiter of all that it contained. Qiliho would certainly have carried out his threat against him.
I then called the editor of the Sunday Sun and authorised the apology for the next day’s issue.
Russell Douglas Hunter
Brisbane, Australia
5/8/20
Fijileaks: Since the Fiji Sun, and by association Cabenatabua, are stooges of the current FFP government, our human rights lawyers had decided not to approach Cabenatabua for an affidavit.
RUSSELL DOUGLAS HUNTER
I was at my home in Ragg Avenue, Suva, on a Saturday evening in late January or early February in 2007.
At the time I was editor-in-chief of the Fiji Sun which had taken a strong editorial line against the Bainimarama coup of the previous December.
The editor of the Fiji Sun (Leone Cabenatabua) had published what I considered a frivolous but harmless article on Bainimarama in that day’s paper.
About 6.30pm I received a call on my cell phone from a Fijian male announcing himself as Major Sitiveni Qiliho, chief of staff of the army.
He wasted no time in demanding an apology for the above mentioned article which had been “lifted” from a New Zealand publication.
He said if I did not cause an apology to be published the next day he was “coming to get you”. He insisted that nothing short of a full apology on the front page would suffice and repeated (twice more) that he would be “coming to get you” at first light if that did not happen.
I had not met Major Qiliho but was aware of his reputation as a thuggish bully. I was aware of credible allegations that he had been involved in beatings and torture of critics of the regime. Throughout the period of the call I could hear the sounds of drinking and slurred voices in the background. I was not convinced of Qiliho’s sobriety. Nevertheless I was also aware that, even if he was in a condition to “come and get you at first light”, he would not arrive alone.
I then called the editor of the Fiji Sun who was very obviously in a state of fear. He had also been threatened with violence by Qiliho who he had passed on to me. The editor was in genuine fear for his safety and even his life.
I was not certain that Qiliho would harm me, a foreign citizen, but I shared the editor’s fears. As a Fiji citizen he was very much at the mercy of the military which by then had total control of the state and was the sole arbiter of all that it contained. Qiliho would certainly have carried out his threat against him.
I then called the editor of the Sunday Sun and authorised the apology for the next day’s issue.
Russell Douglas Hunter
Brisbane, Australia
5/8/20
Fijileaks: Since the Fiji Sun, and by association Cabenatabua, are stooges of the current FFP government, our human rights lawyers had decided not to approach Cabenatabua for an affidavit.
And it was this Walter Mitty failed lawyer and interim Attorney-General and Minister for Justice (referred by us as TM -Taliban Mullah) who facilitated Russell Hunter's deportation out of Fiji. TM - Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum - had gazetted a DECREE barring any challenge to Hunter's deportation out of Fiji. He was backed by CPS (referred by us as
the Cassava Patch Runner - Frank Bainimarama).
