Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says recent issues raised about New Zealand lawyer Janet Mason will not affect the integrity of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report.
Mr Rabuka was responding to concerns following revelations about Ms Mason’s professional history, including a medical certificate declaring her unfit for work until the end of December 2024, a misconduct-related suspension, and two liquidation applications filed against law firms she owned.
Despite the medical certificate, Ms Mason accepted her role as counsel assisting the COI in October 2024.
The medical certificate issue arose in a New Zealand High Court case where Ms Mason was challenging the decision of a professional disciplinary suspending her from practice for three months.
The judge in the case, Justice Geoffrey Venning, noted that Ms Mason had not followed the advice in her own medical certificate.
Justice Venning criticised Ms Mason’s evidence that working in Fiji had reduced her stress as “not at all convincing”.
Mr Rabuka said the ruling in New Zealand came after Ms Mason was appointed and while Ms Mason was already participating in the inquiry.
“Knocking her off at that time would probably entail a new beginning,” Mr Rabuka said.
“So we decided to keep going.
“I looked at the complaint that resulted in her disciplinary action by the Law Society in New Zealand and felt it was not one that would bar her from participating in the role she played here.
“She was just assisting, facilitating. The final decisions were made by the commissioner.”
When asked about Ms Mason’s professional and financial issues before her appointment, Mr Rabuka said he had no prior knowledge.
“It only came up while the thing was going.
“I didn’t know anything before.”