The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) Commander Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai has expressed his concern at the decision by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka not to release the COI report on FICAC commissioner Barbara Malimali.
In a letter written to Defence Minister Pio Tikoduadua, Maj-Gen Kalouniwai expressed the concerns of the military.
Mr Tikoduadua confirmed the commander’s letter is on his desk.
“The commander has written to me and that is the line of how the RFMF relates to the Government and those opinions of the force, through the commander, are with me on my table,” Mr Tikoduadua said.
“And it is up to me to address the concerns he has raised.”
Asked by this newspaper if any decision has been made regarding Maj-Gen Kalouniwai’s letter, Mr Tikoduadua said, “Not yet”.
“But I will make those decisions in time.
“Obviously, those concerns will have to be raised with the Government.”
When asked on what basis the commander had come forward with his concerns and if he could specify what Maj-Gen Kalouniwai’s concerns were, Mr Tikoduadua was adamant he would not discuss any other detail of the issue until he had spoken to Mr Rabuka.
“I cannot go into more detail about this until I have spoken to the Prime Minister. I have to discuss this with him first.”
Mr Tikoduadua said the decision not to release the report was that of the Prime Minister and President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu.
“They have already, particularly the Prime Minister, has already made clear his intentions and that is where things are.
“So, whatever the queries are at the moment needs to be directed at the Prime Minister but he has been quite clear over the last few days.”
Questions sent to Maj-Gen Kalouniwai on the issue have not been answered.
In a statement last week, Mr Rabuka said he had indicated to the President it might be premature to publicise the full report as it may still be required by the Fiji Police Force and FICAC in order to avoid prejudicing any ongoing or future investigations.
