The Fijian Elections Office (FEO) no longer has confidence in the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) Commissioner, Rashmi Aslam in carrying out his duties and making decisions impartially.
A complaint has been lodged to the President by the FEO against Mr Aslam, for failing to declare a conflict of interest he may have with Mohammed Saneem.
A statement by FEO says it is obvious from this conflict of interest that FEO’s complaint against Mr Saneem could be compromised and this is evident when comparing the timeframe of investigations of complaints lodged by Mr Saneem against political parties and its candidates in the previous years to the complaints lodged against Mr Saneem.
An additional complaint has been lodged by FEO against Mr Saneem and the former Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, with the Fiji Police Force on allegations of bribery, receiving a corrupting benefit and abuse of office.
These relate to Mr Saneem’s remuneration being reviewed and approved after one and a half years had lapsed in his new contract.
The amendments to his contract included:
- Salary increment which included back dating it to preceding one and a half years.
- Government agreeing to pay his tax due on the back pay.
- Payment of election readiness and post election bonus.
- Saneem’s family relocation overseas and costs associated with travel and accommodation paid by the FEO for 3 months prior to elections.
These benefits given to Mr Saneem through remunerations and allowances were paid out to him during the campaign period of the 2022 General Election.
The FEO has referred this matter to the Fiji Police Force for their further investigations.
