Patel in the new Acting CEO of FBC

Former Fiji TV CEO and experienced television professional Tarun Patel is the new Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation.

The announcement was made last night by FBC Board Chairman Ajay Bhai Amrit during the official rebranding ceremony of FBC.

He says Patel is a very experienced and qualified individual in the industry.

Amrit says they are indeed fortunate to have secured his services in the acting position.

The FBC Board terminated the employment of former FBC CEO, Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum last month, and the Chief Financial Officer, Vimlesh Sagar, was appointed to act in this position.

Meanwhile FBC Chair, Ajay Bhai Amrit stressed earlier this week that Sayed-Khaiyum had a total package for the year of $387,790.08 and received $32,315.84 per month.

Following the public denial by Sayed-Khaiyum that he did not get that level of salaries and benefits, Amrit said in a press conference in the presence of the Chief Financial Officer, Vimlesh Sagar that they have double checked and verified the information with the Finance Team of the FBC including the Chief Financial Officer.

Amrit also confirms that Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum received a bonus every single year.

He says during the COVID year, the former FBC CEO did receive a 12 percent salary reduction effective from 13th April to Oct 2020 and it was reinstated. The salary reduction equated to $14,259.97 but with his KPIs, Sayed-Khaiyum got $27,671.28 in bonus for the same year.

Amrit also says they have receipts of what was paid out from FBC to Motorparts Traders also trading as Sakura Carz for the new Volkswagon for Sayed-Khaiyum, and the total amount paid for the former CEO’s new vehicle was $207,470.

He says they have everything to back it up – it is in Sayed-Khaiyum’s contract and pay slips.

Amrit says he will be referring his findings to the relevant authorities and people within the FBC so that they make their final conclusions on what they want to do.

While responding to Sayed-Khaiyum’s comments that his package is confidential, Amrit says FBC is a taxpayer funded company and the taxpayers have the right to know this.

Amrit says they are also analysing where the $93 million of the public service broadcasting funds through taxpayers money was spent from the time Sayed-Khaiyum became CEO.

He says they are also analyzing the amount of funds in government advertising given to FBC every year on top of the public service broadcasting funds, and they will also look at how the $21 million Fiji Development Bank loan to FBC was spent.

On advertising, government entities were the biggest spenders with FBC.