First State witness in Bainimarama-Qiliho trial says Prof. Ahluwalia’s paper was to be confidential

The first State witness in former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho’s trial says the University of the South Pacific Council’s Executive Committee had resolved that the paper by Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia titled Past Management Decisions was to remain confidential.

USP Director Assurance and Compliance Dulari Traill says she was summoned by the Executive Committee on 6th March, 2019 to provide an update on the whistleblower reports.

She says after deliberating the update, she went to her office but was called back to the committee and was advised that the report by Prof. Ahluwalia be handed over to her office for investigations.

Traill says she reported the issues raised by Prof. Ahluwalia and other matters to FICAC on the 17th of April, 2019.

She further says the Council for reasons best known to them, decided to outsource the investigations into Prof. Ahluwalia’s paper on the former Vice Chancellor and others to an independent body, BDO.

While being cross-examined by defence lawyer Devanesh Sharma, Traill agreed that the Executive Committee resolved that Prof. Ahluwalia’s paper be confidential.

She did not agree that her mandate was limited to keeping the report strictly confidential and getting former Vice Chancellor Professor Rajesh Chandra’s side of the story.

When asked by Sharma that does she agree with keeping it confidential and interview the former Vice Chancellor, Traill says that is a fair conclusion.

Sharma says the BDO report looked at all allegations in the paper by Prof. Ahluwalia where he had a number of allegations against the former Vice Chancellor.

He says the BDO report has looked at every allegation by Prof. Ahluwalia and given it's conclusion.

The defence lawyer says this morning Traill has given names such as Prof. Chandra, former Interim Director Human Resources Dhiraj Bhartu, Executive Director Jainendra Karan, Dr. Anjeela Jokhan and former Payroll Manager Shobna Kiran who were under investigation.

When questioned, Traill agreed with Sharma that BDO covered each and every allegation by Prof. Ahluwalia.

When asked that conclusions were made, she had said that disciplinary processes kicked in and a number of people were terminated and disciplined, Traill said ‘yes’.

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 tomorrow.