Naucukidi says Nakarawa’s decision to appoint his wife was wrong

Acting Fiji Corrections Service Commissioner Sevuloni Naucukidi has told the Constitutional Offices Commission Tribunal looking into allegations of misbehaviour against suspended Commissioner Dr. Jalesi Nakarawa that Dr. Nakarawa’s decision to appoint his wife to the position of Nurse Practitioner was wrong.

When questioned by Justice Daniel Goundar on Dr. Nakarawa’s reaction when he tried to discourage him from appointing his wife, Naucukidi said the suspended Commissioner told him that it was his wife’s decision and he could not do anything about it.

Naucukidi said that after being appointed as Acting Commissioner, he terminated Dr. Nakarawa’s wife’s contract as she was obstructing the sharing of critical information about the ongoing investigation.

When cross-examined by Dr. Nakarawa’s lawyer, Sevuloni Valenitabua, Naucukidi said that before taking up the Acting Commissioner’s role, he served as the Assistant Commissioner for Policy, Training and Research and had been transferred six times.

He confirmed that he was not directly involved in the work of the Job Evaluation Exercise.

The Acting Commissioner also revealed that Corrections Senior Medical Officer Dr. Rayvan Singh was not performing his duties, saying he witnessed an instance when Dr. Singh did not turn up to work and delegated his responsibilities to others.

When questioned about the funding of the reconciliation that the Corrections Service organised for the Methodist Church in Fiji, Naucukidi said the reconciliation was done to seek forgiveness for the termination of the Corrections Chaplain’s contract.

He said they also visited the Chaplain, who was posted to Ovalau.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary for Justice, Selina Kuruleca, also took the witness stand.

In her affidavit, she stated that matters requiring the Minister of Justice’s oversight under Section 130 of the Constitution provide that all operational and financial matters fall under the powers of the Commissioner of Corrections.

She said the Minister for Justice provides policy direction under Section 136, in accordance with Section 138, on all matters pertaining to the employment of staff within the Fiji Corrections Service.

The Commissioner, with the approval of the Minister, has authority to determine such matters.

Kuruleca said the Commissioner does not hold authority to alter or vary a Cabinet-approved job evaluation exercise or the organisational structure of the Fiji Corrections Service without the approval of the Minister for Justice, who would in turn table the matter before Cabinet for endorsement.

The Permanent Secretary said that where close relatives, including a spouse, are applicants, the Commissioner must disclose and may disqualify applicants where a conflict of interest exists.

She adds that in cases of obvious conflict and potential bias, it is preferable that such applicants are not considered.

She says in the recruitment of Mrs. Nakarawa, the suspended Commissioner did not notify the Ministry of Justice about hiring his wife or other relatives during their meeting in November.

Kuruleca said that while the advertisement for the position was noted by the Ministry, no disclosure was made regarding the recruitment process.

She adds that when the issue was brought to the attention of the Minister for Justice and the Ministry’s Office, they sought clarification from Dr. Nakarawa, citing that the conflict of interest was apparent and that this was not a good image for the Fiji Corrections Service or the Ministry of Justice.

Kuruleca highlighted that no reasons were provided for the lack of disclosure and that Dr. Nakarawa maintained that such matters fall solely under the authority of the Commissioner of Corrections.

This stance was repeated in response to various queries from the Ministry of Justice.

She further states that the suspended Commissioner argued that hiring and termination were his prerogatives under the Commissioner’s Service Act, following discussions with the Ministry on the hiring of close relatives, including his spouse.

The tribunal will continue today.