A FORMER Fijian British Army soldier will be paid £458,000 ($F1.3 million) by the Ministry of Defence in Britain after a legal battle for the racial harassment and bullying he received while serving in the army.
Inoke Momonakaya, who was part of the second battalion in the Dukes of Lancaster Regiment based in Weeton Barracks in Blackpool filed a case at the Queens Bench before the High Courts of Justice.
Mr Momonakaya, who was a former Lance Corporal, will be paid the said amount by February 22, 2019, as ordered by Judge Peter Blair on February 5, 2019 after a settlement was accepted by him.
The court heard that Mr Momonakaya, who had been in the regiment for seven years and six months, made claims of personal injury, anxiety and financial losses over a period from 2010 to date.
Justice Blair said this was a result of breaches of common law and duty of care and/or statutory duty and/or of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and/or pursuant to a conspiracy to injure the claimant in this case Mr Momonakaya.
He ordered Mr Momonakaya to pay a cost of £2500 ($F6815) to the Ministry of Defence. Mr Momonakaya has indicated that he intended to appeal the matter and represent himself as his motive was justice and he was aware of the stories of people in his unit that have been bullied until they committed suicide.
The former soldier is now an activist and is a member of the Veterans for Peace where he educates people on the realities of war and corruption in the establishment.
