Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has admitted his Government has been slow to deliver on its election promise to amend the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) Act.
Speaking in an interview at his residence, Mr Rabuka said the review, a key commitment of the People’s Alliance manifesto, had been delayed because of limited drafting capacity within the Office of the Solicitor-General.
“We had that (review of FICAC) as part of our manifesto,” Mr Rabuka said.
“And we acknowledge it is slow — our drafting of Bills for the amendment of the FICAC Act has taken time.
“The Act can now be amended, following the opinion given by the court. This comes after we applied to the Supreme Court, referring a constitutional question to it.
“And now we can work according to that opinion. So, we should be on the run with those amendments that were being brought by our party.”
The Prime Minister’s remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of FICAC, once accused of being used to target political rivals. A report in March revealed the Attorney-General’s Office is reviewing or amending at least 40 laws, but progress has been hampered by a shortage of qualified drafters.
