Outgoing President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere has appointed senior Australian jurist and current Judge of the Supreme Court of Fiji, Justice David E. Ashton-Lewis, SC, as the sole Commissioner to inquire into the recent appointment of the Commissioner of the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption which happened on September 5, 2024.
Ratu Wiliame has also appointed Janet Mason, a senior barrister, as Counsel assisting the Commission.
Government in a statement said the Commission of Inquiry would assess and determine whether the appointment process of Barbara Malimali as Commissioner of the FICAC was conducted with integrity, fairness, and transparency, in accordance with the law.
“The inquiry will also examine whether there were any improper or unlawful influences in the process leading to the appointment of the FICAC Commissioner,” it said.
“Additionally, the Terms of Reference of the Commission will consider whether the process and the appointment of Commissioner Malimali were unlawfully or improperly influenced by vested interests, including current FICAC cases or investigations involving high-profile individuals, such as Members of Parliament, Ministers, and senior public servants.
“Justice Ashton-Lewis was previously appointed by His Excellency the President in 2023 to chair the Constitutional Tribunal to inquire into allegations of misconduct against former Chief Justice Kamal Kumar. Chief Justice Kumar passed away before the Tribunal could commence hearings into the allegations.”
Justice Ashton-Lewis has an extensive career in law and the judiciary, having previously served as a Justice of the High Court and the Fiji Court of Appeal from 1991 to 1996.
