Registrar of Political Parties, Mohammed Saneem has now highlighted questionable conduct by the solicitors engaged by National Federation Party Leader, Professor Biman Prasad to be his legal counsel.
Saneem says the Fijian Elections Office informed Prasad that they would refer his conduct to FICAC in terms of the donations he has made to the NFP.
He says this morning he received a letter signed by lawyer, Adish Narayan advising that they carry instructions to reply to the FEO’s letter. Saneem says the notification to Prasad was not desired to seek any responses but merely to notify him of the findings of the Registrar and the necessary actions taken thereafter.
The Registrar says instead of producing a substantive reply, Adish Narayan had demanded that the Registrar seeks further clarifications from Narayan’s firm to avoid embarrassment änd legal consequences of any retraction of the proposed complaint to FICAC.
Saneem also says Narayan through one Elizabeth Saverio threatened the Registrar by saying “we still caution you regarding any media releases or other action you take without any verification from us.” He says all this time no verification has been provided.
Saneem says the Registrar is working in a transparent manner.
Saneem has put Biman Prasad and his purported law firm on notice that such actions attempting to compromise the role of the Registrar will not be taken lightly.
Registrar of Political Parties, Mohammed Saneem has referred National Federation Party Leader, Professor Biman Prasad to FICAC in relation to donations made by Prasad to the NFP in the years 2016 and 2017 which exceed the maximum amount allowed by law for any person in a year.
Saneem says based on information provided by Prasad and the NFP, the total donations ascertained so far amount to $28,252.
Under Section 22(2) of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act, any person who is a Fijian citizen or a former Fijian citizen shall not make any political donation to a political party or to a candidate for election to Parliament of an amount exceeding $10,000 in any one year (whether to one or more registered political parties or candidates).
The Fijian Elections Office says under the law, FICAC has the independent jurisdiction to determine and investigate probable offences referred to it under section 18 by the Supervisor of Elections as Registrar of Political Parties.
Saneem says the verification of NFP donations, accounts and declarations are almost complete.
He confirms that the verification of FijiFirst donations, declarations and accounts is currently underway.
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