Allegations of irregular recruitment practices and contract variations within the Fiji Corrections Service were presented before the tribunal inquiring into Commissioner Dr Nakarawa’s alleged misconduct at yesterday’s hearing.
The inquiry, presided over by Justices Daniel Goundar, Dane Tuiqereqere and Savenaca Banuve, heard evidence from FCS’ manager Legal Samisoni Naba.
Mr Naba said that by the time he assumed his role, the recruitment process for nurse practitioners was already underway.
The interview panel had been formed, and on December 2, 2024, a day before the interviews, a memorandum signed by Dr Nakarawa was circulated to the panel introducing new eligibility criteria.
He said the memorandum modified the original job advertisement, which ran on October 9 and November 8, 2024.
A panel member from the Ministry of Health later explained that the advertisement had omitted the requirement for candidates to be ‘registered nurse practitioners. The memorandum was therefore issued to align the process with statutory qualifications under the Nursing Act 2011.
He said seven candidates were interviewed and the three top scorers were recommended for appointment.
Following discussions with Assistant Commissioner Akuila Namakadre, Mr Naba recommended one nurse practitioner each for the southern and northern divisions, and for Dr Nakarawa’s wife to be posted to FCS’ national headquarters.
He said he prepared her offer letter on December 11, 2024, and submitted it for clearance.
Mr Namakadre later instructed that a “watching allowance” be added, but Mr Naba raised concerns that it breached policy and should only proceed with written authorisation.
The letter was redrafted and signed by both Dr Nakarawa and Mrs Nakarawa.
On December 16, Mr Naba advised that Mrs Nakarawa was not entitled to a lodging allowance since she already occupied government quarters. This allowance was removed, and an amended offer was issued on December 18, 2024.
He said she formally took up the role on February 20 this year.
Earlier, Mr Naba told the tribunal that senior accounts officer Helen Koi had been demoted because she held only a diploma while her replacement had a degree. As the demotion affected her salary, Mr Naba said he was directed by Dr Nakarawa to amend her contract.
He said Ms Koi initially refused to sign the variation on September 27 but later did so on December 17, 2024, after being told to “sign or go.”
He also recounted that on October 17, 2024, a variation to Dr Rayvan Singh’s contract reduced his term from eight to three years. Mr Naba also recalled a meeting held earlier this year between Dr Nakarawa, Dr Singh, and Assistant Commissioner Alivio Turaga which, among other things, discussed Dr Singh’s poor performance and absenteeism. The doctor was terminated later that day.
On the dismissal of Assistant Commissioner Corporate Services Salesia Racaca, Mr Naba said she was replaced by Mr Namakadre, who was appointed Assistant Commissioner-Administration and Strategic Management on June 30, 2024, a role not listed under the approved Corrections Service structure.
He said he was later reassigned to Manager Legal on February 17, 2025, where he reviewed the legality of her termination.
On February 19, he advised Dr Nakarawa that the disciplinary case was void because authority had been delegated incorrectly under Section 10(1)(c) of the Corrections Service Act 2006. Despite this, Ms Racaca was dismissed.
The tribunal also heard from Ministry of Finance official Kiman Mala, who confirmed that the 2024-2025 national budget had allocated $9.8 million for salary adjustments and 81 new positions within the Fiji Corrections Service under a multi-year restructuring plan.
Ms Mala said that under the Financial Management Act 2004 and Corrections Service Act 2006, the commissioner has authority to manage positions within the approved budget.
She noted that three divisional nurse posts were financially approved but not yet implemented.
When questioned on whether unimplemented positions could be reassigned,, Ms Mala said the FCS had discretion to manage its structure internally, though the Ministry of Finance had not been informed of any trade-offs before these proceedings. The hearing continues today.
