Former FICAC Commissioner Barbara Malimali has delivered a scathing assessment of Fiji’s anti-corruption efforts, claiming the system has long focused on political opponents and minor offenders while major cases remain unresolved.
Writing in a social post to mark World Anti-Corruption Day, Ms Malimali said her time at the helm of Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption (FIACA) taught her that “corruption is what the powers that be say it is,” adding that enforcement has often been selective.
“Our focus has been on chasing political foes with a few naughty civil servants and bribe payers thrown in to make it look like we are tackling corruption,” she said.
“We are going after the people who paid or received $100, $200, $300… whilst the real big fish have gone a-sailing.”
She likened corruption to illicit drugs, saying the “corruption pipeline flows everywhere in high places.”
Ms Malimali said Fiji’s youth have seen little evidence of a genuine commitment to combating corruption.
She pointed to a string of major cases that have stagnated under successive FICAC office-holders, from former commissioners George Langman and Rashmi Aslam to former Acting Commissioner Frances Puleiwai.
“These cases were not resolved and remain unresolved,” she said.
Ms Malimali added that her own term — as the first woman to lead FICAC and the first commissioner appointed after the change of government — had been “sledgehammered by the PAUSE button,” suggesting systemic interference or obstruction.
