Chaudhry calls on suspended Solicitor General not to allow himself to be bullied into resigning

Fiji Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry is calling on suspended Solicitor General Sharvada Sharma to stand his ground and not allow himself to be bullied into resigning after allegations of misbehaviour.

Chaudhry says sources close to the Solicitor General say Sharma was pressured to resign but refused to do so and has now been suspended.

He says this is the second such incidence within a week of a high ranking civil servant being summarily dismissed or suspended after falling foul of the Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

Chaudhry says the first case was that of the CEO of the Bureau of Statistics, Kemueli Naiqama, who was dismissed after he released the findings of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2019/20 providing statistical data separately for each ethnic and religious community.

The Fiji Labour Party Leader says in the case of the Solicitor General, they suspect it follows the court ruling in the Niko Nawaikula case.

Chaudhry says the Attorney General has been publicly critical of the manner in which the lawyers for the two sides argued the case.

He says the axe is now falling and those in the high echelons of the civil service must be on their guard.

Chaudhry says if they fall out of line, they are likely to meet the same fate. We have sent questions to the Attorney General on Sharma’s suspension and details on the allegation of misbehaviour. He is yet to respond.