264 cases of corruption this year and 30 individuals charged - FICAC

The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption has received a total of 264 complaints from January to November this year of which 114 complaints are corruption-related while 150 complaints are non-corruption-related.

FICAC says 19 cases were taken to court and 30 individuals have been charged for corruption this year.

They say the cases which are non-corruption-related complaints are referred to the relevant authorities for their necessary actions as they are not within FICAC’s jurisdiction to investigate.

FICAC says the most prominent corruption case recorded this year was the driver’s license scam case where 5 former Land Transport Authority Officers were charged with Forgery (contrary to Section 156 of the Crimes Act) and Bribery (contrary to Sections 4 (1) and 4 (2) of the Prevention of Bribery Act).

They say the charges against the five former LTA officers stem from a scam that was perpetuated by the accused and involved the fraudulent conversion of 234 overseas driver’s licenses to local Fiji driver’s licenses from 2020 to early 2022.

However, since the case is currently before the court, FICAC cannot reveal any further information.

FICAC also says that apart from the reactive function of their Investigation and Prosecution Departments, they also have a proactive function which is the Corruption Prevention Department, responsible for facilitating awareness to every sector of society with programs such as the Good Kiddo Program, Anti-Fraud Awareness session, Anti-Bribery and community awareness sessions.

The commission says they also assist government ministries and departments in reviewing policies on practices which may be conducive to corruption.

FICAC says as of 31st October 2023, 223 cases are pending investigation and while the commission makes every effort to complete cases within a reporting period, some cases are complex and therefore require more time to obtain, review and analyze the large volumes of documents as well as locating witnesses to verify facts surrounding the allegations made.