Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the Government will begin reforms to abolish the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC), arguing that its functions duplicate those already carried out by established state institutions.
He revealed this to The Fiji Times in an interview in Cakaudrove today.
Speaking on the proposed changes, Mr Rabuka said Fiji already has the necessary investigative and prosecutorial mechanisms in place.
“We want to make it simpler,” he said.
“We already have the police for investigations, police prosecutions, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. There’s really no need for a special investigating and prosecuting arm of government when you already have established ones.”
The Prime Minister indicated that the move is part of a broader effort to reverse what he described as flawed decisions made in the past.
“Yes, eventually that will have to happen,” Mr Rabuka said.
“Because if we don’t, we are perpetuating the bad decisions made by the previous government.”
He confirmed that work on legislative reforms is already underway.
“We’ll be starting right now with the formulation of the bills,” he said.
“There are two things that have to be amended — the Act itself and the relevant provisions in the Constitution.”
Mr Rabuka said the proposed amendments would be taken to Parliament, where both changes to the FICAC Act and constitutional amendments would be debated as part of the Government’s reform agenda.
Details on the timing of the legislative process and the transitional arrangements for ongoing cases are yet to be announced.
