Sports Council Board to sign on independent investigator today

The Fiji Sports Council Board will sign on an independent investigator this afternoon to look into the allegations against the Sports Council CEO, Gilbert Vakalalabure. 

This has been confirmed to fijivillage News by Sports Council Deputy Chairman, Peter Mazey.

Questions also continue to be raised from within the Ministry of Sports and the Fiji Sports Council about the risk of potential evidence tampering as CEO of Fiji Sports Council remains in office after the announcement by the Prime Minister late last month that independent investigations will be conducted.

The issues mainly deal with alleged conflict of interest and decisions being made without the Sports Council Board's approval.

A whistleblower who is a former staff member of the Fiji Sports Council maintains many decisions being made were not approved by the Board which included business class travel under the Sports Council contra deal with Fiji Airways for Vakalalabure, his wife, the Sports Minister, Jese Saukuru and his wife's travel without the Sports Council's Board approval.

This contra deal was for the Sports Council.

It has also come to light that the Sports Council's grassroots 7s tournaments which cost a lot of money was being organised without the Council's Board approval, and the team going to NZ for a tournament there last year, also did not have Board approval.

Meanwhile no fees will be increased for Fiji Sports Council facilities without consultation and understanding the situation of the people like the sporting bodies hiring the facilities.

Exorbitant fees for the facilities have been sent through by the Fiji Sports Council, and we have received this through a whistleblower who provided the document to Fijian and British national, Charlie Charters.

Some of the fees unilaterally increased go as high as 300 to 500 percent, some even higher.

Mazey has stressed that the Sports Council can confirm the rates being circulated is not approved, and is not in place.

Mazey says they will not implement anything like this as there has been no consultation.

When asked on sporting bodies and other organisations contacting us to raise serious concerns about the exorbitant fees being charged without consultation and some bodies saying that the minor sports will die a natural death if this is implemented, Mazey says the Board makes it clear that this will not be done.

We had earlier contacted Vakalalabure. He is yet to comment.

Stay with us for developments.