Officer Pleads Guilty to Exam Paper Theft

A 24 year old former Police Constable charged with stealing and leaking Fiji Junior Examination papers pleaded guilty to the charge in the Suva Magistrates court this afternoon.

Iliesa Vakadranu charged with three counts of Larceny and one count of Disclosures by persons engaged in examinations under the Examinations Act pleaded guilty before Magistrate Amaniasi Katonivualiku.

Police Prosecutor Inspector Isikeli Raisuni told the court that between the 1st of April and 17th of August this year, Vakadranu who was posted to supervise the printing of the FJC papers at the Government Printery by the Station Officer Nabua, stole the papers when printery staff were busy in their work.

He stole the three papers, Maths, Basic Science and English, after putting them in a plastic bag and wrapping them around his leg. Inspector Raisuni said Vakadranu lifted his trousers and wrapped the plastic bag containing papers on his leg, cellotaped it, before putting his pants down to cover it.

He then sold the papers to some students of Indian College, Lami High School, LDS, Laucala Bay Secondary School and Vashist Muni College in Navua.

Navua Police arrested him on Saturday at around 1pm after a tip off that he was selling the papers to some people in Serua.

Vaka-dranu in mitigation asked the court for forgiveness and said that he is unemployed at the moment.

Inspector Raisuni then made an application in court that Vakadranu be remanded in police custody as police are yet to complete their investigations and he is yet to identify the students he sold the papers to.

He will be sentenced on the 17th of this month.