State witness says she did not help Prof. Ahluwalia compile his report

The first State witness in the Voreqe Bainimarama and Sitiveni Qiliho trial, has revealed in court that she did not help Professor Pal Ahluwalia compile his report.

USP Director Assurance and Compliance Dulari Traill stated that Prof. Ahluwalia had his own team which had members of HR and others.

When defence lawyer Devanesh Sharma questioned the witness if she knew the directives given regarding the Ahluwalia report that it was confidential to be given to the Director of Assurance and Compliance for safekeeping and due diligence, Traill says on 6th March, 2019 she was told to investigate it by the Executive Committee.

When the defence counsel questioned the witness if she was aware that the Executive Committee made a resolution and what was her understanding, she replied that the investigation was carried out in a discreet manner.

When Sharma asked the witness if the Chair of the USP Council had said it was an incomplete report because the former Vice Chancellor Prof. Rajesh Chandra was not interviewed among others and her job was to get their side of the story to get a balanced report, Traill said she did not because she had already filed a report with FICAC.

Sharma then questioned Traill on whether it was not her job as the Director of Assurance and Compliance to give the staff a chance to respond.

Traill said as the Director, she had to bring in law enforcement to deal with issues of people misusing university money.

When Sharma asked if she was aware that she had to draft a statement to be circulated to the Executive Committee, Traill said she was not aware.

When asked by the defence counsel if she was aware of this resolution from the Executive Committee, Traill says yes, to do the due diligence on the report on the 17th of April, 2019.

Traill was then asked by the defence counsel if she was aware of the leakage of the Ahluwalia report on social media in May and June of 2019 to which she replied she was not.

The state witness was then asked if she was aware of the letter from FICAC to the council to which she said she was not.

The defence lawyer says the FICAC report to the council states that most of the allegations were administrative matters to which the witness replied that the cases to FICAC were prima facie cases regarding money given to undeserving members.

Sharma then asked the witness if she knew when the BDO report was completed.

Traill said did not know this but only knew of when it was tabled to the council.

The defence counsel then asked the witness on who had copies of the Ahluwalia report from March to July. Traill answered no one else, all copies were with her office. Bainimarama is charged with a count of attempt to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho is charged with a count of abuse of office.

It is alleged that Bainimarama sometime in July 2020 as the Prime Minister directed the Police Commissioner to stop the investigation into a police complaint, in the abuse of the authority of his office, which was an arbitrary act prejudicial to the rights of the University of the South Pacific which is the complainant.

It is alleged that Qiliho on the 15th of July, 2020 as the Police Commissioner directed the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department, Serupepeli Neiko and Inspector Reshmi Dass to stop investigations into the police complaint by the USP, in the abuse of the authority of his office, which was arbitrary act of prejudicial to the rights to USP.

Bainimarama and Qiliho are represented by R Patel Lawyers Devanesh Sharma and Gul Fatima while Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Ratu David Toganivalu is representing the State.

The trial continues today.