Ratu Suliano’s judgement to be delivered next Friday

SODELPA MP Ratu Suliano Matanitobua will know his fate next Friday when High Court Judge Justice Dr Thushara Kumarage delivers his judgement.

Ratu Suliano is alleged to have falsely stated that his permanent place of residence was in Namosi Village and allegedly obtained $38,378.22 in parliamentary allowances between August 2019 and April 2020.

He is charged with a count each of Giving False Information to a Public Servant and Obtaining Financial Advantage.

While delivering his closing submissions Ratu Suliano lawyer, Filimoni Vosarogo says Ratu Suliano’s residence from coast to ridge is Namosi.

Vosarogo says for Ratu Suliano, Namosi Village is his 'Yavu', his point of origin and where he is most cared for.

He says Ratu Suliano’s residence is the Bula Tale where he has room for him alone and no one but the Tui Namosi can sleep in the room.

Vosarogo further says both Veivatuloa and Namosi Village are outside the 30 kilometres distance from the Parliament by actual and shortest route to be travelled.

He also says the entire basis of this case is flawed as the Members of Parliament Statutory Declaration Form is poorly drafted and is intended to bind MPs legally but lacked essentials of being a statutory declaration compliant with the law and no one should be held responsible for this when the responsibility of ensuring public funds is spent correctly rests with the Parliament staff and not the MPs. Vosarogo says it cannot be conclusive that Ratu Suliano was living at Statham Street in Suva and adds his polling station and addresses in statutory organisations is Veivatuloa Village while the address in the impugned Members of Parliament Statutory Declaration Form is Namosi Village.

FICAC Commissioner, Rashmi Aslam says Ratu Suliano in the Members of Parliament Statutory Declaration Form specifically enters his residential address as Namosi Village and not the Province of Namosi.

He says Vosarogo has told the court it needs to consider the chiefly title but this violates the fundamental rights of equality for everyone.

Aslam says even if you hold a special title of chief, when it comes to the rule of law, everyone is treated in the same manner.

The Commissioner further says this however does not demean the status of a chief.

Aslam says the fact that Ratu Suliano’s son and wife cannot come to the Bula Tale in Veivatuloa Vilage which is his family home and his cousin lives there cannot make it his place of residence and to call it so is bizarre.

He asks if it is sufficient to call Namosi Village his place of residence when Ratu Suliano’s second great grandfather lived there 5 generations ago.