Mahmood Khan is not on a paid contract to advise FRCS Acting CEO but will give high-level advice on key strategic matters – FRCS

The Fiji Revenue and Customs Service says that FRCS Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, Mahmood Khan, has not been appointed as Advisor to the Acting CEO on a $120,000 contract however they say Khan will provide an operational perspective and guidance and high-level advice on key strategic matters and assist the Acting CEO in implementing the decisions and strategic direction of the Board.

This is after the National Federation Party released a statement claiming that Khan is now the Advisor to the Acting CEO. NFP Leader, Professor Biman Prasad had said if proven correct, the appointment is an alleged serious conflict of interest with Khan’s role as board member and his job as a tax agent.

The FRCS Board says NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad never asked the Chairperson, Fay Yee whether Khan was appointed to a senior position within the organisation.

The board says claims of conflict of interest and nepotism are serious charges that damage the FRCS’ reputation as an independent statutory institution adding that if the NFP Leader had made the minimal effort to fact-check his allegations with the FRCS Board directly they would have been happy to inform Prasad that his claims were incorrect.

They add instead Prasad has levied public allegations under a defaming headline, leaving them no choice but to publicly condemn the lies he and his party insist on telling.

The FRCS Board says when they took office early last year, the board realised the FRCS was faced with many organisational and operational challenges as it pursued an important programme of digital reform amid the economic difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic and since April 2020 the Board has been pursuing a more disciplined and strategic approach from the FRCS management team.

They further say the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on business operations across the economy have required the FRCS to adapt to new staffing levels while implementing a number of new initiatives to engrain a more service culture throughout the organisation.

The board says to strengthen that organisational effort, the board of directors unanimously endorsed Mahmood Khan to provide strategic guidance to the Acting CEO, given Khan’s over 40 years of experience in management and governance.