And also listed as allegedly owing money is MIKAELE MUDREILAGI, Director, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (Fiji branch).
The 'holy pilgrims' were even encouraged to loan from Merchant Bank Finance or BSP Bank, the maximum of $10,000 and pay over 3 years.
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*The charter fee for Fiji Airways was $3million. The cost of return airfare was $5,000 per person. The cost of accommodation and church events was $5,000 person. The total cost for the charter to Israel was $10,000 per person, inclusive of return flights and accommodation. The total passengers travelling was 199. A total of 187 passengers paid the $5,000 for the accommodation and event costs. The total amount received from the 187 paying passengers of $5,000 was $935,000, excluding the $5,000 per person for the accommodation component, which was not included. *$400,000 went towards Fiji Airways, the remaining $535,000 of the $935,000 collected for the airfare component did not go towards the charter fee.
*A shortfall of $2.6million is owed to Fiji Airways that was to be taken from Coalition Minister Viliame Gavoka's Tourism Fiji Budget which Gavoka was allegedly going to approve and allocate to Fiji Airways.
*We will bring more in-depth analysis to the 'Fly Now, Pay Later Fraud'.
The Crumbling House of Mausio: We will focus on Michael Mausio soon
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The list below was provided by the charterer Pacific Voyager to Fiji Airways before the flight to Israel, and it marked the names of those who had still not paid up in YELLOW. We have redacted their Passport Numbers and Date of Births
LATE PAYEES, COMING SOON: Lynda Tabuya's daughter and son-in-law
CRY, FIJI. A heart-wrenching plea from a paid passenger on the FLIGHT
Bula,
We are writing this with great disappointment about what is currently happening in regard to the Israel Charter.
When we heard about the flight last year about the Israel Trip, we were full of excitement and decided to send one of our family members on this trip. Various fundraising and personal borrowings were made to give our selected family member a once in the lifetime opportunity to visit the Holy Land.
Upon their return, we were so proud that at least one of us had made it on this trip and we felt the spiritual fulfillment it bought to us as a family.
However, what has happened over the last few days has bought our world down crashing and unexplainable shame we feel. We are no longer able to hold our head high when walking in church or even in public without the shame of people judging us knowing that we were part of the group that went on this trip. We were even gossiped about on whether we were one of the few that hadn’t paid for the airfare. What was supposed to be a joyous experience has left a very sour taste in our mouths.
What we are so upset about is Pacific Voyager (Charter Company) has not even tried to help in this situation by clarifying who paid or has not paid for this trip. In the eyes of the public, friends, workmates, neighbours, church members and even some of our families members look at us as if we are one of the unpaid passengers. The looks, gossips and even verbal abuse has made us want to dig a hole and bury ourselves in it.
We believe and also note that 187 of the 197 passengers have fulfilled their obligations of paying their airfare cost of $5000 and only 10 who are yet to pay.
What is even more upsetting is why were these people allowed to travel without payment and the rest of us was told to pay in full otherwise we will not be able to board?
Looking at the total airfares collected which should be $935,000, why was only $400,000 paid to Fiji Airways? With the 10 passengers left to pay is only $50,000 which is a long long way from the outstanding debt of $2,600,000 owing to Fiji Airways. We are also worried that we were told that the outstanding debt would be recovered from the passengers that travelled on this trip which we think is an outrageous.
Another question is where did the leftover of $535,000 collected from the airfares go to? Also, the Charterer had additional passengers of 46 (243 passengers) on the return trip who mostly paid cash (approx. $115,000).
So looking at the situation, it seems like the Charterer has withheld $ 650,000 to themselves….
What our concerns here is that we the paid passengers here would forever be seen as part of the lot that went and never paid.
So we plead to Pacific Voyagers to let the public know who has not paid or even publish who paid to help us redeem whatever dignity we may have left. We also request that Pacific Voyager reaasure the public that the outstanding debt with Fiji Airways is between yourselves and has nothing to do with the paid passengers.
Vinaka.
God Bless
We are writing this with great disappointment about what is currently happening in regard to the Israel Charter.
When we heard about the flight last year about the Israel Trip, we were full of excitement and decided to send one of our family members on this trip. Various fundraising and personal borrowings were made to give our selected family member a once in the lifetime opportunity to visit the Holy Land.
Upon their return, we were so proud that at least one of us had made it on this trip and we felt the spiritual fulfillment it bought to us as a family.
However, what has happened over the last few days has bought our world down crashing and unexplainable shame we feel. We are no longer able to hold our head high when walking in church or even in public without the shame of people judging us knowing that we were part of the group that went on this trip. We were even gossiped about on whether we were one of the few that hadn’t paid for the airfare. What was supposed to be a joyous experience has left a very sour taste in our mouths.
What we are so upset about is Pacific Voyager (Charter Company) has not even tried to help in this situation by clarifying who paid or has not paid for this trip. In the eyes of the public, friends, workmates, neighbours, church members and even some of our families members look at us as if we are one of the unpaid passengers. The looks, gossips and even verbal abuse has made us want to dig a hole and bury ourselves in it.
We believe and also note that 187 of the 197 passengers have fulfilled their obligations of paying their airfare cost of $5000 and only 10 who are yet to pay.
What is even more upsetting is why were these people allowed to travel without payment and the rest of us was told to pay in full otherwise we will not be able to board?
Looking at the total airfares collected which should be $935,000, why was only $400,000 paid to Fiji Airways? With the 10 passengers left to pay is only $50,000 which is a long long way from the outstanding debt of $2,600,000 owing to Fiji Airways. We are also worried that we were told that the outstanding debt would be recovered from the passengers that travelled on this trip which we think is an outrageous.
Another question is where did the leftover of $535,000 collected from the airfares go to? Also, the Charterer had additional passengers of 46 (243 passengers) on the return trip who mostly paid cash (approx. $115,000).
So looking at the situation, it seems like the Charterer has withheld $ 650,000 to themselves….
What our concerns here is that we the paid passengers here would forever be seen as part of the lot that went and never paid.
So we plead to Pacific Voyagers to let the public know who has not paid or even publish who paid to help us redeem whatever dignity we may have left. We also request that Pacific Voyager reaasure the public that the outstanding debt with Fiji Airways is between yourselves and has nothing to do with the paid passengers.
Vinaka.
God Bless
