Acting Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa says Ro Teimumu Kepa has resigned from the Airports Fiji Limited Board and Tertiary Scholarships and Loan Services Board respectively and all complaints against Ro Teimumu have been dismissed.
In a statement, Mataiciwa says the FEO received a complaint from a concerned member of the public on the 20th of this month against Ro Teimumu on her appointment to a public office whilst being a member of SODELPA.
She says the FEO conducted its own verification with the relevant authorities to confirm the appointment and also obtained confirmation from SODELPA on the membership status of Ro Teimumu.
She adds that on the 23rd of this month, they wrote to Ro Teimumu requesting her response to the complaint, and they received a response from her today, attaching her resignation letters addressed to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister/ Minister for Finance, for her resignation from the Airports Fiji Limited Board and TSLS Board respectively.
Mataiciwa further reiterated that the FEO’s role is to ensure that all relevant stakeholders uphold and adhere to the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act 2013 [Act].
The Acting Registrar of Political Parties would like to emphasise that Public Office holders, according to section 14(1) of the Act, are not:
a) eligible to be an applicant or a member of a registered political party;
b) eligible to hold office in a registered political party;
c) to engage in political activity that may compromise or be seen to compromise the political neutrality of that person’s office in an election; or
d) publicly indicate support for or opposition to any proposed political party or a registered political party or candidate in an election.”
She says if anyone chooses to breach the Act, despite being warned, they will refer them to the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption [FICAC] for investigation and therefore, any person taking up public office must ensure that they comply with section 14(1) of the Act.
