*Meanwhile, senior Fiji lawyer Hemendra Nagin says FLP President Wylie Clarke has no authority to call for the resignation of Justice David Ashton-Lewis |  Nagin, representing Justice Lewis  |  Wylie Clarke  |
 We have the Law Society President barging into FICAC offices which [with] some other not so smart lawyers threatening FICAC officers with all sorts.  Finally, Kuliniasi Saumi Speaks Out about 5 September 2024. He was sacked by Barbara Malimali for recording the 'Gang of Five'. |  |
Fijileaks: We have not corrected Saumi's language, as it appears to have been written in haste-in response to one Charlie Charters.
5 September 2024: Malimali arrested and detained in a FICAC cell
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Time for Accountability – FLS Must Not Be Above Scrutiny
In any healthy democracy, institutions of accountability must begin by holding themselves to the highest standards. The Fiji Law Society (FLS), as the guardian of professional legal ethics and the rule of law in Fiji, must not exempt its own leadership from scrutiny.
Recent public concerns and allegations surrounding the President of the FLS, Wylie Clarke, have raised serious questions—not only about the substance of the claims but also about the Society’s ability to maintain credibility and public confidence in its independence. As members of the legal profession in the Western Division of Fiji, they are not only stakeholders in this matter—they are duty-bound to defend the integrity of their own professional body.
We, therefore, support the call, respectfully but firmly, for Wylie Clarke to step aside as President of the Fiji Law Society pending the full and independent resolution of the issues that now cloud his name.
This is not a presumption of guilt. It is a principled demand for transparency and accountability. We ask only what is expected of any public official or professional leader under scrutiny: to temporarily remove themselves from their role to preserve the integrity of the institution they lead.
We, and the FLS lawyer members in the western division, are not alone in this view. Around the world, leaders in comparable positions—whether in legal societies, parliaments, or the judiciary—have stepped aside in the face of serious questions. They do so not as an admission of wrongdoing, but as a sign of respect for the institution and its values. Unfortunately, the now sacked Barbara Malimali refused to step aside, nor the JSC or the sacked Attorney-General Graham Leung forced her to step aside despite a legal opinion that she could be asked to step aside, to allow FICAC witnesses like Kuliniasi Saumi and others to testify before the COI without fear.
We urge Clarke to consider the bigger picture. The Fiji Law Society cannot be an effective watchdog on matters of national legal concern if its own house is in disorder. A temporary stepping aside would allow due process to take its course, and, should he be cleared, return with renewed authority and legitimacy.
The rule of law begins at home. It is time the Fiji Law Society shows that it practices what it preaches. It is time Wylie Clarke stepped aside as President of the FLS, to await the COI findings.
In any healthy democracy, institutions of accountability must begin by holding themselves to the highest standards. The Fiji Law Society (FLS), as the guardian of professional legal ethics and the rule of law in Fiji, must not exempt its own leadership from scrutiny.
Recent public concerns and allegations surrounding the President of the FLS, Wylie Clarke, have raised serious questions—not only about the substance of the claims but also about the Society’s ability to maintain credibility and public confidence in its independence. As members of the legal profession in the Western Division of Fiji, they are not only stakeholders in this matter—they are duty-bound to defend the integrity of their own professional body.
We, therefore, support the call, respectfully but firmly, for Wylie Clarke to step aside as President of the Fiji Law Society pending the full and independent resolution of the issues that now cloud his name.
This is not a presumption of guilt. It is a principled demand for transparency and accountability. We ask only what is expected of any public official or professional leader under scrutiny: to temporarily remove themselves from their role to preserve the integrity of the institution they lead.
We, and the FLS lawyer members in the western division, are not alone in this view. Around the world, leaders in comparable positions—whether in legal societies, parliaments, or the judiciary—have stepped aside in the face of serious questions. They do so not as an admission of wrongdoing, but as a sign of respect for the institution and its values. Unfortunately, the now sacked Barbara Malimali refused to step aside, nor the JSC or the sacked Attorney-General Graham Leung forced her to step aside despite a legal opinion that she could be asked to step aside, to allow FICAC witnesses like Kuliniasi Saumi and others to testify before the COI without fear.
We urge Clarke to consider the bigger picture. The Fiji Law Society cannot be an effective watchdog on matters of national legal concern if its own house is in disorder. A temporary stepping aside would allow due process to take its course, and, should he be cleared, return with renewed authority and legitimacy.
The rule of law begins at home. It is time the Fiji Law Society shows that it practices what it preaches. It is time Wylie Clarke stepped aside as President of the FLS, to await the COI findings.
