POLICE have officially closed all criminal investigations arising from the Commission of Inquiry (COI) after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) advised there was insufficient evidence to lay criminal charges.
Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu confirmed that investigators had completed inquiries into 12 complaint files stemming from allegations raised in the COI report before referring them to the ODPP for legal advice.
“It was referred to us and our investigators have done their investigation and it was submitted back to the DPP for their opinion,” he said.
“There will be no further investigation done on that based on the advice from the DPP’s office.”
The COI was established after concerns were raised over the process that led to the appointment of Barbara Malimali as Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) Commissioner in September 2024, while she was herself the subject of an ongoing FICAC investigation into alleged abuse of office relating to her former role as Electoral Commission chairperson.
The inquiry examined whether the appointment process had been carried out with integrity, fairness and transparency, and whether there had been any improper or unlawful influence in the decision-making process.
Headed by Justice David Ashton-Lewis with Janet Mason as Counsel Assisting, the inquiry heard evidence over nine weeks before a report was compiled over six months and presented to President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu.
Following the report’s completion, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka announced that Ms Malimali would be suspended while police investigated criminal allegations identified in the COI. Lavi Rokoika was subsequently appointed acting FICAC Commissioner.
Mr Tudravu said police had completed investigations into all complaints referred from the COI, but the ODPP determined there was insufficient evidence to support criminal proceedings.
He also confirmed that a separate police complaint lodged by Ms Malimali against former acting deputy FICAC commissioner Francis Pulewai in September 2024 had likewise been investigated and closed after the ODPP reached the same conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to proceed.
Meanwhile, the deadline for applications for FICAC Commissioner will close this Saturday, 25 July.
