The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions confirms that there are currently 3 trafficking in persons files under review at the Office.
The ODPP says of these, 2 files are related to Grace Road Group.
The Office has made the comments after fijivillage News questioned them on how many files the Police forwarded to the ODPP for decisions in relation to human trafficking and sex trafficking.
We also asked them how many files related to Grace Road Group, what is the status of the files, what is the delay and what are the challenges in relation to taking human trafficking and sex trafficking cases to court.
The ODPP says the files were sent to them for legal advice and are currently being reviewed in accordance with the ODPP standard procedures.
They say once the review process is completed, the ODPP will advise the CID accordingly.
The ODPP also emphasises that trafficking in persons matters involve multiple stages of investigation and evidence gathering, which can be complex and time-consuming.
They add that upon receipt of any investigation file, the ODPP is required to conduct a thorough assessment to ensure that the evidential and legal thresholds are met before proceeding with the appropriate course of action.
The United States has expressed serious concern about human trafficking indicators linked to the Grace Road Group in Fiji, as highlighted in the 2025 US Trafficking in Persons Report.
The report flags suspected trans-national organised crime and labour abuses tied to the group’s operations, and warns that Fiji could be downgraded to the lowest tier if decisive action is not taken.
A downgrade could affect key assistance programmes.
Fiji remains on the Tier 2 Watch List for the second year, having made efforts but not yet met minimum trafficking elimination standards.
According to this year's report, the Government of Fiji does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
It says despite making significant efforts to do so, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period.
The significant efforts included initiating more trafficking investigations, identifying more trafficking victims – including a victim of sex trafficking – and referring trafficking victims to services.
The report highlights that in partnership with civil society, the government completed the development of victim identification Standard Operating Procedures, began developing a centralized trafficking case management system, and updated the anti-trafficking National Action Plan.
However, the government did not initiate any new trafficking prosecutions and, for the second consecutive year, did not convict any traffickers.
