The Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit has confirmed to fijivillage News that they had provided several financial intelligence reports to the Fiji Police Force between 2017 to 2022, prior to the successful conviction of Aiyaz Musa Umarji in New Zealand in August this year.
This has resulted in serious questions being raised on how Musa who was connected to a chain of pharmaceutical outlets in the country, was allowed to continue without action taken by Fijian law enforcement agencies.
fijivillage News has been pursing the local authorities here for months and asked the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit to confirm whether it has assessed the case of the Director of Hyperchem Pharmacies in Fiji, Aiyaz Musa Umarji after he was convicted of importation of drugs into New Zealand for the manufacture of methamphetamine.
It has been stated in the Auckland District Court’s official documents received by fijivillage News that Umarji was the managing director of several pharmacies in Fiji and across the Pacific region under the 'Hyperchem' group of pharmacies including 'Hyperchem Pharmacy' in Lautoka, Fiji.
Based on the NZ court conviction details, we have asked the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit how did the unit deal with the issue and is dealing with the matter, knowing that Musa was involved in serious criminal activities, and he was actively sending a large amount of drugs to NZ for the manufacture of methamphetamine.
fijivillage News has also asked the question on what is the Fiji FIU doing regarding the identification of suspicious transactions, knowing that drugs, mainly the usage of hard drugs are seriously on the rise and easily accessible here.
While responding to the question on how is the Fiji FIU working with Police in dealing with proceeds of crime when it comes to cases like that of Umarji, and alerting the authorities, the FIU says they had provided several financial intelligence reports to the Fiji Police Force between 2017 to 2022, prior to the conviction of Aiyaz Musa Umarji in New Zealand this year.
The FIU says it is an intelligence agency of the Fijian government, and the FIU does not have formal investigative powers to arrest and charge suspects or restrain properties.
It also says the FIU does not have a prosecutorial role.
It further says the FIU’s role as a financial intelligence body in Fiji has become an integral part in successfully investigating and prosecuting money laundering and other serious crimes as well as asset tracing and recovery.
The FIU is tasked under the Financial Transaction Reporting Act to collect suspicious transactions and activities reports, analyse and further profile financial transaction, persons and assets and disseminate intelligence to relevant law enforcement authorities for investigation and prosecution of money laundering and other predicate crimes.
Financial intelligence or financial forensics is a specialised field that involves analyzing, profiling, and investigating complex financial transactions, records and data to uncover manifestation of fraud, cyber-crime, corruption, embezzlement, tax evasion, unexplained wealth, scams, money laundering and other criminal financial activities. According to the National Risk Assessment Review (2020) on money laundering threats in Fiji, tax evasion and drug related offences provide the greatest threat for money laundering in Fiji.
The drug related offences include importation, cultivation, manufacturing and trafficking.
The Fiji FIU says the estimated value of illicit proceeds laundered in and through Fiji from these offences is more than FJ$10 million annually.
It also says the local drug market has grown in the last few years, with facilitators being paid in drugs for their services, then selling them onwards.
It says this has contributed to rising addiction amongst locals and the emergence of local drug networks.
The FIU has also engaged with reporting entities and provided guidance on how to detect suspicious transaction reports and report such matters to the Fiji FIU.
In 2021, the Fiji FIU revised this guideline to provide more clarification to reporting entities and included lists of suspicious transaction indicators/red flags. This included a list of indicators that maybe linked to drug trafficking and other related offences.
The FIU also provides financial intelligence to law enforcement agencies upon request.
The requests for assistance from the law enforcement agencies are related to investigations of suspected money laundering activities and other predicate offences such as forgery and fraud, drug trafficking, human trafficking, obtaining money by false pretences, cybercrime, larceny and corruption. The requests may also be related to investigations initiated by FIU’s intelligence reports that was disseminated to a law enforcement agency.
The FIU disseminated 388 financial intelligence reports involving 125 entities and 1,252 individuals to law enforcement agencies and other government and statutory agencies in 2022.
fijivillage News is also awaiting comments from the Fiji Police Force on what was done with the information when it was provided by the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit from 2017 to 2022. We have also asked what is being done now in terms of proceeds of crime or transfer of assets. We are still waiting for their response.
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