Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has today stressed that Fiji does not accept Professor Pal Ahluwalia as the Vice Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, and will not release any grants to the USP until proper processes are followed to appoint a new VC and an independent investigation is carried out against Ahluwalia.
While speaking in parliament, Sayed-Khaiyum says they are also considering options to recommend to the Prime Minister to have a Commission of Inquiry into the USP.
He says with the Vice Chancellor’s Office located in Samoa, it should now be the responsibility of the Samoan Government to host the office.
Sayed-Khaiyum says a KPMG Report has found 7 instances where he alleges Ahluwalia had seriously breached the authority of the Vice Chancellor. He says he refers to Ahluwalia as a former Vice Chancellor as they do not recognize what he calls the illegal appointment.
The Attorney General made allegations of mismanagement, nepotism, cronyism and fraud against Ahluwalia in parliament.
He also raised questions on a number appointments of certain individuals and says they were allegedly done in breach of processes.
Sayed-Khaiyum says Fiji has demanded on numerous occasions that the USP Council must carry out an independent investigation on all the allegations by the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, Mahmood Khan.
Fiji is the largest contributor to USP. In 2019, Fiji paid a grant of $26.6 million which is 70.85 percent of the grants paid by the regional countries.
He says since 2014, Fiji has also contributed about $140 million to USP by way of TELS and Toppers fees.
National Federation Party Leader, Professor Biman Prasad says here we have a COVID crisis in the country with many deaths and Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum finds time to make gutter level attacks against some people at the USP.
Professor Prasad says he is proud of his wife and she is a role model for thousands of girls and women in the country.
He says this gutter level attack is coming from a man who is allegedly practicing nepotism by appointing some of his relatives.
Professor Prasad says his wife, Doctor Rajni Chand holds a PHD in Distance Education and Flexible Learning, and the KPMG Report found that all the appointments including Doctor Chand’s were done properly.
The NFP Leader says the USP Council has regional representatives including people from Australia and New Zealand, and they are dealing with the issues and making decisions.
He says by all means they all want good governance and they can have a Commission of Inquiry but there is a governance structure within the USP, and that should be respected as well.
Professor Prasad says Fiji is also the largest beneficiary for the last 50 years from USP with thousands of students going through the university and even businesses like taxis, shops and flat owners also benefitting from it.
He also says the grant paid to the USP is not the government’s but it is from the Fijian taxpayers.
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