GOVERNMENT ministers and assistant ministers took 147 official travels between April 1, 2024 and April 20, 2025 that cost taxpayers $1.9million, with data made public showing Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs Pio Tikoduadua, using $108,117 in taxpayers’ funds for his 40-day Fiji Peacekeeping Inspection Tour of the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
This is revealed in data made public through Parliament based on a question submitted by Opposition Member of Parliament, Premila Kumar who sought information on the number of official trips taken by each Deputy Prime Minister, Minister, former Minister, Assistant Minister, the destinations, the cost of each trip and the subject of each trip.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has provided the information and has broken down the trip costs into government funded, partially funded and fully funded.
Out of the total $1.9million, taxpayers forked out, $282,000 was partial funding towards the trips.
Ministers and how much each trip cost:
• Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs Pio Tikoduadua – $108,117 for a 40-day Fiji Peacekeeping Inspection Tour to Middle East, Africa and Europe.
• Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka – $90,452 for the National Prayer Breakfast in the US and the Munich Security Conference in Germany,
• Minister for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations Agni Deo Singh – $60,863 for the 112th Session of the International Labor conference in Switzerland.
• Minister for Multi-Ethnic Affairs and Sugar Industry Charan Jeath Singh used $58,771 on his trip to Azerbaijan and United Kingdom COP29 and International Sugar organisation meetings.
• PM Sitiveni Rabuka – $58,008 for his visit to meet King Charles and attend the International Sugar Organisation meeting in the UK.
• Minister for Fisheries and Forestry Alitia Bainivalu – $58,313 to attend the 149th Assembly of the IPU in Switzerland.
• Assistant Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Sakiusa Tubuna – $50,938 for the United Nations General Assembly in the US.
• Former A-G Graham Leung – $50,034 for the 48th Universal Periodic Review Working Group in Switzerland.
• Assistant Minister for Finance Esrom Yosef Immanuel – $47,607 for the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and Global Goals Week in the US.
• Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica – $46,302 for a trip to France, US and Canada to attend the World Trade Organisation Mini-Ministerial Meeting and the Fiji-North America Business mission.
• Minister for Sports Jese Saukuru – $45,780 to attend the World Anti-Doping Agency 2025 Annual Symposium in Switzerland.
• Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Waterways Tomasi Tunabuna – $42,845 for the proposed Fiji – US Kava Mission meetings in the US.
• Deputy Prime Minister Prof Biman Prasad – $39,045 attending the 57th Annual Meeting of Governors of the Asia Development in Georgia.
• Sugar Minister Charan Jeath Singh – $38,587 to attend the TMD Technologies Group meeting in Louisiana, US.
• Assistant Minister for Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport Naisa Tatau Tuinaceva – $37,817 for the 150th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Uzbekistan.
• Minister for Health Dr Atonio Lalabalavu – $35,771 to attend the 36th Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting and the 77th World Health Assembly in Switzerland.
• DPM and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka – $30,187 to attend the ICAO Global Implementation Support Symposium in the United Arab Emirates.
