The Government is moving forward with the long-awaited Code of Conduct Bill to establish clear standards for public office holders and strengthen Fiji’s governance frameworks.
In response to questions by this newspaper, Attorney-General Graham Leung explained that the Bill was initially introduced but lapsed in 2018.
“This Government is intent on delivering on the community’s expectations that has been delayed for 12 years. The community has been waiting for the constitutional requirement that public office holders be subject to codes of conduct to be enacted in written law since 2013,” said Mr Leung.
If enforced, the Bill will impose strict penalties on public office holders who do not comply with regulations around asset declarations.
“The government will enforce the making of truthful and accurate declarations by making it an offence for a public office holder to not meet their obligations,” Mr Leung said.
“The Bill will also make clear the details of the types of matters that must be addressed in a declaration by prescribing the content and form of the declarations. This will ensure that public office holders are in no doubt about the information that must be provided in a declaration.
“Public office holders will also be subject to an offence where declarations are not kept up to date,” Mr Leung explained.
The Code of Conduct Bill will be debated in Parliament next month.
