The haste with which the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Nancy Tikoisuva has reviewed my personal file and laid a complaint with FICAC days before I resume my duties as the DPP leaves me suspicious as to her true motives and leads me to wonder what may have been going on in my absence that she is anxious for me not to discover.
Those are the comments of DPP, Christopher Pryde as he has confirmed he has advised Tikoisuva that he intends to discuss her actions with her when he resumes duties at his office on Monday morning.
He says he was notified by Tikoisuva that she has laid a criminal complaint against him with FICAC on behalf of the ODPP alleging a multitude of inconsistencies concerning various payments made to him under his contract.
Pryde says Tikoisuva has advised him that the senior management at the ODPP reviewed his personal file after it was returned to the ODPP at the conclusion of the Tribunal hearing that exonerated him, and recommended it be forwarded to FICAC.
The DPP says he is not aware of the specific allegations but he denies completely any wrongdoing.
Pryde says the Chief Registrar's Office had his personal file for the past 21 months and used the material to make out two allegations that were put before the Tribunal which found they were not made out.
He says Tikoisuva and the senior managers took 2 days to conclude that the Chief Registrar's Office had missed multiple inconsistencies that were so egregious that they needed to be immediately sent to FICAC.
He asks what has she found that the Chief Registrar could not. Pryde says his contract and payments made to him under his contract have been audited twice a year every year by both the Auditor General and the auditors from the Ministry of Finance.
He says they have never raised any issues or concerns with the payments.
The Senior Management at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has lodged a complaint against Pryde with FICAC.
Acting DPP, Nancy Tikoisuva says following the review of Pryde’s personal file, several inconsistencies came to light and as part of the ODPP Whistle Blowing Policy, a complaint was lodged with the FICAC.
The complaint stems from the allegations of abuse of office resulting from payment of gratuity without the President’s approval from 2013-2018 were referred to FICAC.
The Office of the DPP says other allegations include obtaining gratuity in 2023 in excess of Pryde’s entitlement, payment of life insurance instead of superannuation and payment of airfares for family travels outside of the contractual terms.
Tikoisuva says these are few of the many allegations that has been put to FICAC after a review of the accounts file after it was returned to their office on 9th January.
She says the FICAC team has also executed a search warrant at the Office of the DPP as the investigation continues and the ODPP will cooperate with the investigation.
On 7th January 2025, the Office of the President sent a letter and the Tribunal Report to the Acting DPP, regarding the findings and the decision to reinstate Pryde. Tikoisuva says to comply with the tribunal’s findings and the directives, Tikoisuva requested Pryde’s personal files from the Office of the Chief Registrar which was taken as part of the Tribunal investigation.
On 9th January 2025, the files were returned to the ODPP, following which a meeting to review Pryde’s file was held by the Senior Management team which included the Acting DPP, the Deputy DPP and the three Assistant DPPs.
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