The Suva Magistrates Court has found Ifrana Nisha, a former secretary of the Independent Legal Services Commission (ILSC), guilty of multiple corruption-related charges.
Resident Magistrate Shageeth Somaratne delivered his judgment yesterday, convicting Ms Nisha on seven counts of Falsification of Documents and two counts of Obtaining a Financial Advantage. She was acquitted on one count of Obtaining a Financial Advantage.
The court heard that between July 2012 and November 2014, Ms Nisha falsified cheques by forging the signatures of former Solicitor-General Sharvada Sharma and lawyer Ana Tuiketei.
She listed herself and ILSC Commissioner Paul Madigan as payees to obtain financial gain.
In one instance, Ms Nisha falsified a cheque for $3,450, naming Ms Tuiketei as the payee, and instructed an ILSC receptionist, Vandana Raj, to cash the cheque and return the proceeds to her.
Magistrate Somaratne noted that Mr Sharma, Ms Tuiketei and Mr Madigan testified for the prosecution, all denying any involvement in or benefit from the cheques.
Bank records confirmed withdrawals from the ILSC account, while Ms Raj testified that she cashed the cheques on Ms Nisha’s instructions and returned the money to her.
The court relied on circumstantial evidence, including witness identification of the second signature on the cheques as Ms Nisha’s, her exclusive control over the cheque books, and evidence that the cheques were handed to Ms Raj fully completed.
Magistrate Somaratne found that only Ms Nisha had access to the cheque books, that she had authority to raise the cheques, and that the funds were returned to her, with no benefit received by Mr Madigan or Ms Tuiketei.
The case has been adjourned to February 13, 2026.
