The iTaukei Land Trust Board has stated they will intervene on the illegal iTaukei land dealings on Tokatoka Nasau in Tau, Nadroga for what is being claimed as unpaid landowners’ monies for soil extraction work.
CEO Tevita Kuruvakadua says there is evidence that land has been extracted but TLTB was not aware of this at all.
Kuruvakadua says the extraction of soil from the tokatoka land by landowning unit member Sokonaia Ragose and contractor Tony Herbert was illegal and TLTB will intervene to pursue the necessary payments to the landowners by either C.P. Group or Tony Herbert and that monies collected are distributed to all landowning unit members.
Herbert’s company was given the task by C.P. Group, the owner of the freehold property at Momi, to manage the land filling and construction of their $60 million Sofitel SO Resort.
Kuruvakadua says they have noted that all discussions done by Ragose and Herbert were done in isolation and TLTB was not even informed of any such dealing on that land adding under the law, TLTB should have been consulted.
He says based on our discussion made between one of the directors of C.P. Group, Sanjay Pratap, and Rogose we can confirm the following that TLTB was not approached and therefore are not aware of any dealings or extraction made on that particular land.
Kuruvakadua adds there was also no license issued to Tokatoka Nasau or Hebert’s company from TLTB to extract soil from the tokatoka land and to be dumped at the freehold land belonging to C.P. Group.
He says Rogose has apologized to TLTB for what he had done and is now seeking TLTB’s assistance to help him and his tokatoka.
C.P. Group has agreed to continue their investment and also pay their dues and properly compensate landowners.
