The hearings of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) tasked to assess the appointment of Fiji’s Anti-Corruption Commissioner Barbara Malimali have been adjourned and will resume at 2pm today.
In an emailed advisory, the COI did not provide a reason for the adjournment.
However, unconfirmed reports indicate that Senior Legal Counsel Assisting the COI, Janet Mason, is currently at the Fiji Police CID office in Suva.
This suspension marks the latest setback in the COI’s work, which has been marred by prolonged sessions, attempts to halt its proceedings, concerns over Mason’s conviction for professional misconduct and her pending appeal in New Zealand, alleged tampering with her practising certificate lodged with the local Legal Practitioners Unit, the sacking of FICAC’s Manager of Investigations Kuliniasi Saumi (who is also a witness in the ongoing investigation), and, as a consequence, the COI’s recent recommendation, via a letter to the Judicial Services Commission, calling for Malimali’s suspension until the COI has completed its work.
Entering its fourth week since January 6, the hearings, which are an integral part of the COI proceedings, have heard testimonies from various stakeholders, including key legal personnel, MPs from both the government and opposition, lawyers, FICAC officers, the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, former President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, and election officials.
As per the initial schedule, the COI was supposed to present its final report to the President and Prime Minister by the end of this month.
In a previous interview, lead commissioner Justice David Ashton-Lewis stated that due to delays the COI will not finish its work until the end of next month.
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