The Fiji Government is not doing enough to fight corruption, if the ranking and scores in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is anything to go by. The CPI is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption that scores 180 countries and territories using data from 13 external sources, including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum. Global civil society organisation, Transparency International (TI) reported that corruption remains a “dangerous problem” worldwide, as many countries have stagnated or declined. Fiji, however, has progressed slightly, scoring 55 out of 100 last year compared to 52 the previous year. This score puts Fiji above the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu but below Australia and New Zealand. The CPI covers numerous forms of corruption. In the public sector, this can include bribery, diversion of public funds, officials abusing their power for private gain, conflicts of interest, and lack of legal protections for whistleblowers. Corruption still thrives in Fiji. It existed in the previous Government and still does today. Laws are not enforced, and it breeds corruption. Former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, former Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and former Commissioner of Police Sitiveni Qiliho appeared in court because of corruption. Former Minister for Fisheries and Forests in the current Government, Kalaveti Ravu, has an ongoing case related to allegations of abuse of office. “This has never been the case for Fiji before,” Unity Fiji Party leader Savenaca Narube, said. This CPI score is a slight improvement. The Government needs to take the lead in fighting corruption, says Mr Narube. “Government seems to be the problem and not the solution,” he said. Institutions such as the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) and the Fiji Police Force must be strengthened so that they can investigate corruption independently instead of being embroiled in corrupt activities. TI named Fiji a ‘country to watch’ on the Corruption Perceptions Index, citing concerns about its uncertain future following a change in Government in 2022. “Corruption destroys incentives to work hard. It destroys proper prioritisation of the use of our public resources, which leads to a wastage of our money, it leads to more budget deficit and to debt,” Mr Narube said. “Corruption benefits the rich and penalises the poor; the poor pays for the rich to become richer, and it increases poverty.” Joseph Veramu, the former executive director of CLCT Integrity Fiji, the local TI chapter, believes Fiji is on the “right track” following its improved CPI ranking, although there is still much work to be done. “This augurs very well because it shows that the Coalition Government is doing very well in its governance by strengthening democracy and the rule of law. Strong democracy is a major deterrent against corruption,” he said. “Democracy in developing countries like Fiji is a work in progress. The Coalition Government should maintain its dynamic democratic stance and strengthen integrity institutions like the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC), the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Judiciary and so forth. If it does not maintain its strong advocacy of democracy, then the CPI scores and ranking will decline in the future.” CLCT Integrity Fiji chairperson Jofiliti Veikoso agreed that while the improvement is small, it is a good case for further supporting institutions such as FICAC. “We have been encouraged by the FICAC 2024-29 Strategy. We are seeing investigations and prosecutions of bribery and embezzlement, including in public procurement. There are also expectations around accountability in election returns, including political party funding.” Mr Veikoso said Fiji’s CPI decline in recent years could be due to political interference by political parties, the judiciary and independent agencies being subject to political influence or interference, and corruption within the police force. CORRUPTION CASES The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) – the leading agency responsible for investigating public sector corruption – and other law enforcement authorities prosecuted several cases involving elected officials and public servants in the last year. Here are some high-profile examples. n FICAC charged Minister for Fisheries and Forests Kalaveti Ravu with abuse of office along with the ministry’s Regional North Tekata Toaisi with aiding and abetting abuse of office. Mr Ravu was alleged to have interfered in a ministry investigation into the illegal trade of banned species of Beche-de-mer. He plead not guilty to these charges. n FICAC also investigated former coup leader and former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama over allegations he submitted a false declaration of Income, Assets and Liabilities for the years 2014 to 2019 and 2022. It closed the file against Mr Bainimarama last year. Mr Bainimarama had been facing several other charges, including one related to abuse of office. His former Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, was charged with abuse of office as well. Mr Bainimarama was famously convicted and sentenced to prison for obstructing a police investigation alongside former Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho, who was convicted of abuse of office. FICAC charged former National Fire Authority Board chairman John O’Connor and Carpenters Fiji managing director Daniel Whippy for corruption-related offences. This remains an ongoing case. In a separate case, two police officers and a businessman were found guilty of bribery-related charges and abuse of office, which were brought against them by FICAC. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions charged three Fiji police officers and two civilians for their alleged involvement in the tampering of drug evidence held at the Totogo Police Station in Suva. Police officers have faced corruption-related charges on several occasions. In a statement late last year, the former Acting Commissioner of Police Juki Fong Chew declared that the law enforcement institution was “not corrupt”, saying that the unethical and unlawful conduct of a handful of officers was “not reflective of institutional corruption that is accepted amongst all ranks”. He vowed to protect the professional integrity of the organisation. Even in recent months, FICAC has been embroiled in its own political drama with the appointment of Barbara Malimali as Commissioner, a decision that was criticised because Ms Malimali was under investigation by FICAC for alleged abuse of powers when she was chair of the Electoral Commission. The appointment stirred up allegations of political interference resulting in a Commission of Inquiry. ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS In its analysis of Fiji’s CPI results for 2024, CLCT Integrity Fiji identified a type of corruption that pertains to access to information about Government and public sector activities. The anti-corruption watchdog highlighted efforts to support public transparency, such as the repeal of the Media Industry Development Act 2010 in 2023, but pointed out that, among other things, Fiji lacked an information law that was accessible. Fiji has the Information Act 2018, but critics in recent weeks have argued that it is ineffective and obsolete and should be scrapped. The Fiji Law Reform Commission is reviewing the legislation and has begun holding public consultations on it and two other Bills. Feedback: ivamere.nataro@fijisun.com.fj