CID Investigating Officer confirms Qiliho had instructed her to stop the investigations into USP

The Investigating Officer from CID responsible for investigations into USP has confirmed in the trial of Voreqe Bainimarama and Sitiveni Qiliho that suspended Police Commissioner Qiliho had instructed her to stop the investigations against Winston Thompson and others as FICAC had closed the file, and it was from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Rashmi Dass who is the fifth State witness says on 15th July 2020, she was called into Director CID Serupepeli Neiko’s office where he told her that Qiliho wanted to talk to her regarding the investigations into USP.

She says she asked Neiko to return the call to Qiliho where he called him and put the phone on speaker on the table.

Dass says that Qiliho answered and asked why are they investigating USP because FICAC had closed their investigation as it was an internal breach.

She says Qiliho then said to stop investigating and it is from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Investigating Officer says after the phone conversation, Neiko advised her to update her investigation diary and notebook.

When asked by Acting DPP, Ratu David Toganivalu if she stopped the investigation after receiving a call from Qiliho, Dass says she was shocked about receiving the call as there was a directive from the DPP to call in people for caution interviews.

She says she stopped the investigation after receiving the call.

While responding to questions by defence lawyer Devanesh Sharma, Dass confirmed that the investigation had stopped on the 15th of July 2020 but it had later continued on the directive of the Director CID Loraini Seru.

Dass says she continued with investigations and conducted two interviews in October 2020.

When asked does she know when the investigation actually closed, she said it closed on 6th January, 2022 where Manager Major Fraud and her direct superior Rajesh Kumar on 4th January had written to the Director CID and closing of investigation was done on 6th January.

When questioned on what had happened between October 2022 and 4th January, Dass says as per instructions by Seru, investigations had continued.

The Investigating Officer says on 3rd February this year, she gave a 3 page statement regarding the conversation on 15th July 2020.

When asked why she did not provide a statement like this earlier, Dass says she provided the statement upon instruction from the Taskforce Unit about the conversation.

She has also confirmed that investigations into USP had started again in January 2023 upon instructions, after USP asked for feedback.

Dass confirms that Ilima Finiasi was the complainant who filed the complaint on 8th July 2019 at the Totogo Police Station.

Bainimarama is charged with a count of attempt to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho is charged with a count of abuse of office.

It is alleged that Bainimarama sometime in July 2020 as the Prime Minister directed the Police Commissioner to stop the investigation into a police complaint, in the abuse of the authority of his office, which was an arbitrary act prejudicial to the rights of the University of the South Pacific which is the complainant.

It is alleged that Qiliho on the 15th of July, 2020 as the Police Commissioner directed the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department, Serupepeli Neiko and Inspector Reshmi Dass to stop investigations into the police complaint by the USP, in the abuse of the authority of his office, which was arbitrary act of prejudicial to the rights to USP.

Bainimarama and Qiliho are represented by R Patel Lawyers Devanesh Sharma and Gul Fatima while Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Ratu David Toganivalu is representing the State.

The trial continues.