THE driver for the Assistant Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Sakiusa Tubuna, is under investigation and may face disciplinary action.
This follows a fatal incident in which his 17-year-old son drove a government vehicle under his care without permission, and caused a crash that claimed the lives of two men on Bau Rd last month.
Mr Tubuna confirmed the driver’s employment is being reviewed by the Office of the Prime Minister, and it remains unclear whether he will continue in his role.
“Human Resources (unit), the PM’s Office, they are all looking into that,” he said, adding that he would not comment further as the case is under review.
The tragedy unfolded after the teenager allegedly took the vehicle keys while his father was asleep then drove the vehicle and hit two pedestrians.
The teenager has been charged with two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, one count of driving motor vehicle without a valid driving licence and one count of driving motor vehicle without owner’s consent. He is expected to appear in court in the coming days.
Mr Tubuna clarified that current protocols allow drivers to retain the vehicles after duty, but only under specific conditions.
“Drivers have regulations on where they can park vehicles, at the police stations, etc,” he said.
“So, there’s no problem with that. But where it was parked (in this case), that maybe the issue.”
