I was invited to travel to New Zealand by the Fiji Sports Council for a grassroots 7s tournament in 2024, I travelled business class but it was not my decision for my wife to travel in business class.
Minister for Sports, Jese Saukuru has made these comments to fijivillage News as questions start to be raised on the issues of conflict of interest and the manner in which FICAC has cleared the Fiji Sports Council CEO, Gilbert Vakalalabure in relation to the allegations levelled against him and some other senior executives of Fiji Sports Council.
When questioned by fijivillage News, Minister for Sports Saukuru says he was unaware that Gilbert Vakalalabure was under investigation for certain allegations by FICAC and only got to know when he was cleared.
Saukuru confirms that he travelled to New Zealand in business class with his wife after the invitation by the Fiji Sports Council to attend a 7s tournament organised by the Fijian diaspora.
He says a Fiji Sports Council grassroots team featured in that tournament.
When asked by us on who actually invited him, Saukuru says he has to check that.
When further questioned, Saukuru says he never demanded business class travel for him or his wife.
He adds cabinet cleared him to travel, and the business class airfares were paid by the Fiji Sports Council while the Fijian diaspora looked after their accommodation.
The Sports Minister says him going to New Zealand was to support grassroots sports development.
Saukuru says he has nothing to hide.
He then told fijivillage News that he can always pay back what his wife has used and he will do it as he loves his wife, and she has been behind him all the time.
Saukuru says the Fiji Sports Council invited him, but as it turns out it is going another way now, he has to sort it out and will pay for his wife's business class travel.
When asked whether there was a conflict of interest in accepting the travel, he maintained it was approved by cabinet.
He says he only appointed Vakalalabure as Chair of the Fiji Sports Council.
Saukuru says Vakalalabure later resigned and then the board appointed Vakalalabure as the CEO of the Fiji Sports Council.
The allegations made by a former Fiji Sports Council employee included misuse of Fiji Airways Contra Agreement where a partnership intended exclusively for official Council business was used for personal benefit, unauthorised travel for family members, misallocation of resources where a Minister’s spouse was accommodated on a business-class ticket at the Council’s expense displacing the Team Manager who was originally scheduled to travel and suppression of concerns when the former employee formally raised objections (both in writing and verbally), Vakalalabure allegedly dismissed the matter, instructing him to "drop the issue" after the Minister offered belated reimbursement.
Stay with us for developments.
