The Attorney-General, Graham Leung, has denied being FICAC Commissioner Barbara Malimali’s referee.
Dismissing claims by the former governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji and Unity Fiji Party leader Savenaca Narube that he was one of the referees for Ms Malimali’s application for the FICAC role, Mr Leung said he was neither notified nor gave his approval to be a referee.
“I was appointed in June and within weeks of my appointment she would have applied,” said Mr Leung.
“So why would I question my integrity as a lawyer by endorsing the candidacy of a person who I would be their line minister?
“Last week, Mr Chaudhry accused me of being a referee and now Mr Narube is accusing me of being a referee.
“Whatever it is, I categorically deny having any prior knowledge of being Ms Malimali’s referee or any of the other candidates for that matter.”
Mr Leung said he had not sighted Ms Malimali’s application which would only be submitted before the Judicial Services Commission, the appointing authority for the FICAC Commissioner role.
He is one of a number of political figures embroiled in the issue of Malimali’s appointment as FICAC Commissioner.
Earlier this week, Ms Malimali vehemently denied being a political appointee and asserted that her appointment would not affect any active FICAC investigations that included inquiries into alleged abuse of office by a number of government ministers.
