The Ousted Labour Minister has today called on the Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority to investigate the alleged tax evading interim minister on where he collected money from since the year 2000 and why it has been deposited in foreign banks under his name.
Krishna Dutt said FIRCA needs to establish this as the source of the income should be fully investigated.
Dutt said the bigger issue is where the interim minister made his money from.
Meanwhile, the Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority maintains that an investigation has already been conducted into allegations of tax evasion against an Interim Cabinet Minister.
FIRCA CEO Jitoko Tikolevu confirmed that he is aware of an investigation that was conducted after a directive by the Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama last year.
However he stressed that FIRCA's stand on the matter remains as stated in an official statement by former FIRCA Board Chairman and current Interim Education Minister Filipe Bole on the matter issued on August 16th, 2007 when the allegations first surfaced through the media.
In the statement Bole said that that FIRCA wishes to make clear that there are no tax issues concerning ministers in the Interim government on which appropriate action has not been taken when required or warranted.
Village news questioned FIRCA Board Chairman Filipe Bole about the statement and whether the investigation was conducted against the Interim Minister for alleged tax evasion.
Bole said he was no longer FIRCA Chairman and could not recall sending the statement.
Feature
FIRCA called on to investigate tax evader