A rehabilitation plan submitted by Freesoul Real Estate Development (Fiji) Pte Ltd, the company linked to developer Dickson Peng who is facing allegations of fraudulently obtaining about $23 million in VAT refunds through false invoices and sales records, has been rejected by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change after it failed to meet the required standard.
Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, Dr Sivendra Michael, says following the court ruling and a series of meetings between the Ministry, stakeholders and Freesoul, it was agreed that the company would prepare a detailed rehabilitation plan outlining the scope of works and timelines for restoring the affected area in Malolo.
Dr Michael says the rehabilitation plan was submitted on 23rd October 2024, however, it was not satisfactory upon review by the Department.
He says the Department will review any revised rehabilitation plan before deciding whether rehabilitation works can begin.
Dr Michael also says the court ordered Freesoul to post a refundable environmental bond of $1.4 million, which may only be refunded once the rehabilitation works have been completed to the Department's satisfaction.
He says the environmental bond has been paid and remains with the Department.
