Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said yesterday that acting FICAC Commissioner Lavinia Rokoika was appointed on his recommendation to the President after failing to get “co-operation” from the Judicial Services Commission.
Mr Rabuka was commenting on questions about the validity of Ms Rokoika’s appointment after questions were raised about it during the first call yesterday of FICAC’s perjury case against former Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica in the Suva Magistrate’s Court.
Mr Rabuka said the legality of the appointment was a legal question currently before the judiciary.
Mr Kamikamica’s lawyer, Wylie Clarke, told the Court yesterday that Ms Rokoika “has no more right to bring charges against Mr Kamikamica than I do.”
Mr Clarke said Mr Kamikamica would challenge the FICAC charges on the basis that Ms Rokoika was not validly appointed.
“Whether this was legal, whether what she has done so far can be upheld… all those things will be answered in court,” Mr Rabuka said.
“Because they questioned her appointment and so on, it would be contemptuous if we try and discuss it outside.
“We had made the appointment because we didn’t get the cooperation of the Judicial Services Commission, we could not progress it that way.
“So we progressed it through the direct recommendation from the Prime Minister to the President.”
Mr Kamikamica was not present at yesterday’s court hearing but is expected to appear in court tomorrow.
