There is still no official word from FICAC on why Fijian national, Charlie Charters has been taken custody.
fijivillage News has been told that FICAC officers had asked Charters in Nadi to reveal the name of the whistleblower who had given him information about FICAC, and they would have let him go.
Charters refused to do that as he is protecting his sources which is the right of any journalist.
He was then brought to Suva after 7.30pm last night, and questioned at the FICAC office again to reveal the whistleblower's name.
Charters refused again, and was kept in custody overnight.
The whistleblower had written to the Judicial Services Commission and the Legal Practitioners Unit to look into the affairs of FICAC.
We have contacted the JSC.
They have not said anything.
Prominent lawyer, Richard Naidu has questioned on what legal basis could Charters be detained by FICAC.
Naidu says the FICAC Commissioner has the power to stop the departure of someone FICAC is investigating “in respect of an offence to which the FICAC Act applies”.
He says he can imagine the current powers in FICAC are a bit cross that Charlie Charters has been publishing embarrassing information about them.
But Naidu says FICAC can only prosecute its own people for unlawfully divulging its information (Section 13G of the FICAC Act), not anyone merely receiving that information.
He asks what is there for FICAC to investigate which allows Charlie Charters' detention.
Charters contacted fijivillage News yesterday saying that he was held at immigration at Nadi International Airport because of a FICAC flag on his file.
Charters, a 57-year-old sports marketing expert, has Fiji and UK citizenship and arrived on Sunday to renew his Fiji passport.
He was scheduled to fly to Sydney on last night's FJ915 flight.
Charters has written extensively about the family and friends connections between FICAC and the Fiji Sports Council relying on publicly available documents and whistleblower testimony.
We are trying to speak to FICAC.
We have sent questions to Acting FICAC Commissioner, Lavi Rokoika, Immigration Minister, Viliame Naupoto and Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka.
Rabuka has told us to ask FICAC as they are independent and act independently.
FICAC has not said anything despite many requests.
Minister for Immigration, Viliame Naupoto says immigration is just being compliant to FICAC's alert and the subsequent stop departure and the case was handed over to Police.
Stay with us for further developments.
