POLICE investigation continues as Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL) life member Culden Kamea questions how sexual harassment allegations against a board member are being handled.
Questions are being raised about how the FNRL is handling sexual harassment allegations against the board member, as Fiji Police Force confirms it has received a report and is continuing its investigation.
The board member has maintained that the matter should be allowed to follow due process.
When contacted by The Fiji Times yesterday, the board member said his legal team would deal with claims made by FNRL founder and life member Culden Kamea.
“My lawyers will deal with Culden and others for defamation,” he said.
“There is an independent committee in place. We will let due process take place.”
The board member did not directly address questions about the allegations.
Kamea has publicly questioned whether the process being followed by the FNRL is independent and transparent.
According to Kamea, a woman working at the FNRL made two allegations of sexual harassment against the board member over alleged incidents at the FNRL office on August 27 and September 7 this year.
The allegations have not been proven.
Kamea said the complaint was sent to the FNRL board on September 16 by his son Randall, who was assisting the organisation, with the National Rugby League of Australia copied into the email.
He said Australian Rugby League Commission executive chairman Peter V’landys also contacted the FNRL board, stressing the need for the complaint to be handled with “care, seriousness, independence, diligence and transparency”.
Kamea’s concerns now centre on the investigation itself.
He wants to know:
m who appointed the independent committee;
m who sits on the committee;
m what experience its members have in handling sexual harassment complaints; and
m what their terms of reference are.
He has also raised the involvement of accountancy firm PHERRUS, which he says is an FNRL sponsor, and whether that relationship creates a potential conflict of interest.
Another question raised by Kamea is whether the FNRL’s internal investigation should have been paused after police became involved citing clause 12.3 of the FNRL Code of Conduct.
Kamea has also raised concerns about the alleged suspension of his son Randall and claimed the board member against whom that allegations were made entered the FNRL office while suspended.
He has called for the Board member and another Board member to stand down till the police investigation is completed.
The police investigation remains ongoing.
