Minister for Finance Biman Prasad has reaffirmed the stability of the Coalition Government and reiterated his confidence in Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. This is amid ongoing public interest in the unredacted version of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) report. Mr Prasad said the National Federation Party (NFP), which he leads, has been a “very stable partner” in the tripartite Coalition Government and continues to fully support the Prime Minister. “The NFP, has always been a stable partner in the Coalition Government. Right from day one, we’ve had full confidence in the Prime Minister,” he said. “We signed a coalition agreement before the election, and that agreement stands.” Mr Prasad dismissed speculation about any internal rifts, suggesting such questions were misdirected. “In fact, this is not a question the media should be asking the NFP. The NFP is a responsible party,” he said. When asked about the COI report, two versions of which are now circulating—one redacted and one unredacted, Mr Prasad confirmed he had not yet reviewed the full document, but had seen the summary. “I haven’t been able to go through the whole report yet, but I’ve seen the summary. As people have said already, legal experts included, it’s a report and that’s where I leave it,” he said. The Finance Minister also addressed the mention of his name in the unredacted version of the report, explaining that he had served as a witness during the inquiry. “Of course, there would be names of a lot of people. I was one of the witnesses, and obviously if you’re a witness, your name would be there. But I have no issues with any of the matters where my name is mentioned,” he said. Mr Prasad emphasised that he had been investigated and cleared by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC), effectively putting the matter to rest. “I was investigated, I was cleared by FICAC as well and that’s where the matter ends,” he said. The Government has not yet confirmed whether the full unredacted report will be made public. Feedback: sosiveta.korobiau@fijisun.com.fj