Former Fiji Corrections Service nurse practitioner Vakaloloma Mocevakaca Nakarawa maintains that, as a Fijian citizen, she has the right to apply for any advertised position, noting the job notice did not exclude the “Commissioner’s wife” from eligibility.
The wife of suspended Corrections Commissioner Dr Jalesi Nakarawa testified yesterday before a tribunal comprising Justices Daniel Goundar, Savenaca Banuve and Dane Tuiqereqere, which is inquiring
into her husband’s allegations of misconduct.
She said her husband had discouraged her from applying, saying it “did not look good”, but she insisted on her right to do so, describing herself as a qualifi ed and independent applicant, adding that she wanted a change of environment.
Before joining FCS, she said, she worked as an assistant lecturer at the Fiji National University, earning between $39,964 and $55,000 a year.
She became aware of the nurse practitioner vacancy through a Fiji Times advertisement dated October 26, 2024.
Mrs Nakarawa said she met and exceeded all requirements and therefore emailed and hand-delivered her application to the commissioner’s office.
She said she used her maiden name as it appeared on her passport and academic records.
Her practising licence was later amended to reflect her married name, Nakarawa.
On December 3 last year, she told the tribunal, she declared at the start of her interview that she is the wife of Dr Nakarawa.
She denied knowing any member of the interview panel beforehand and said Assistant Commissioner-Administration, Akuila Namakadre was among the panellists.
According to her testimony, she was later appointed as a nurse practitioner in the Central/Eastern Division, with a salary of $58,036, and was posted to the Central Division (Suva).
She said her duties included assessment, diagnosis, treatment and prescription within her scope of practice, and cases beyond her scope were referred to the senior medical officer at FCS or the CWM Hospital.
She confirmed meeting Dr Rayvan Singh during orientation and only learned of his termination afterward.
The tribunal heard he was to be her supervisor.
She denied ever being appointed acting senior medical officer and stressed that the Peni Sikivou.
FCS medical structure predated her arrival.
When questioned about conflict of interest, Mrs Nakarawa said she attended a 2019 Open Merit Recruitment Process workshop where she learned that any qualified person could apply under open merit, that transparency required honesty and fairness, and that a conflict existed where a relationship might influence a decision.
Tribunal members asked Mrs Nakarawa about public perceptions and whether her relationship with Dr Nakarawa created a conflict of interest.
She acknowledged public opinion but maintained her application followed due process and her selection was based on merit, saying, “People are entitled to their opinions, but I have a right as a citizen of Fiji to apply for any advertised position.”
Mrs Nakarawa said her last full-time clinical nurse practitioner role was around 2015, although she continued practising clinically while supervising students at FNU.
She was also in Nauru in 2022, where she had been teaching.
She said she had previously applied to the Ministry of Health for a nurse practitioner post but received no response.
When the FCS position was advertised in 2024, she applied because there was no other similar vacancy at the time.
She was questioned about her involvement in drug testing procedures at FCS earlier in 2025.
She confirmed overseeing the process where urine samples were collected and sent to a laboratory, and results were forwarded to the commissioner’s office.
When asked if she was qualified to handle drug testing, she said nurse practitioners were trained in basic procedures such as urine sample collection.
She denied that consent was required, saying officers were informed as part of FCS policy.
However, tribunal members raised concerns about the lack of medical consent and interpretation of lab results, citing evidence from the president of the Fiji Medical Association that such procedures required higher medical oversight.
Mrs Nakarawa disagreed, maintaining she acted within her scope of practice and followed her superiors’ instructions.
When asked about the appropriateness of a commissioner employing his spouse, she defended her position, arguing that similar arrangements existed in other government sectors, such as hospitals where married doctors worked together.
She maintained she was a qualified candidate who applied “as an individual” under open merit principles.
Mrs Nakarawa said she received her offer letter on December 12, 2024, signed by Assistant Commissioner Akuila Namakadre.
The next day, she visited FCS headquarters to clarify details with Mr Namakadre, saying her husband was unaware of her visit.
She said she enquired about a lodging allowance from manager Legal Samisoni Naba, who informed her she was not entitled to it because she lived in government quarters so it was removed.
She officially began work on January 20 this year before being terminated on April 9.
She is now unemployed and pursuing a Master’s degree in Nurse Practitioner studies at FNU.
Her husband, Dr Nakarawa, will give evidence on November 22.
