MONEY spent on the Commission of Inquiry was not wasted because ensuring good governance is worth the investment, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says.
Mr Rabuka defended the estimated $2million spent on the Commission of Inquiry (CoI), saying the process was never intended to prosecute anyone but to investigate allegations and establish the facts.
“It’s not wasted. Any amount of money spent on ensuring good governance is justifiable,” Mr Rabuka said.
Responding to questions on claims that the inquiry had concluded without enough evidence to lay charges, Mr Rabuka said there was a misunderstanding about the role of the commission.
“Well, the Court of Inquiry or the Commission of Inquiry is not a prosecutorial process. They are not there to prosecute,” he said.
“It is inquisitorial. They are doing an inquisition, like investigative. After the investigation, then you put it to those that will progress it to the prosecution level.”
Mr Rabuka said the commission’s responsibility was to establish what had occurred and determine whether any findings pointed to possible breaches of the law.
He said the $5000-a-day payment for CoI commissioner Justice David Ashton-Lewis was part of a deal approved by Cabinet before he was appointed.
Mr Rabuka made the comments when asked if he was aware of the payment made to the retired Australian judge who led the Commission of Inquiry into the appointment of Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption commissioner Barbara Malimali.
He said Cabinet had approved the terms of Justice Ashton-Lewis’ appointment before the inquiry began.
