Fiji police pinged for more drug theft ... this time marijuana

Scene of the crime: Nabua police station. pic FBC News

They haven't even solved the case of the missing drugs from Toorak and now they have Nabua on their hands.

Fiji police are back under the spotlight with two officers being taken in for questioning over the large quantity of marijuana that have gone missing from Nabua Police Station.

As in the cocaine taken from the Criminal Investigations Bureau in Toorak several weeks ago, the marijuana was being held at Nabua as exhibits for court cases.

No other information has emerged from police officially today but Coupfourpointfive sources say the stolen marijuana was part of the haul taken in raids from Kadavu and have a street value of more than one million dollars.

A police mole says serious questions are now being raised about the capability of the leadership of the police commissioner, Ioane Naivalurua, and his senior officers, all of whom have been singled out as being involved in a drug ring themselves.

SDL's first party meeting since 2006 and Qarase's speech

Naivalu and Qarase at a political forum in 2009. Fiji Times file pic

FOR SDL PRESIDENT
NOTES FOR SDL MEETING ON 31.5.2012
Members of the SDL Party, supporters of the Party, Ladies & Gentlemen.
 
Ni sa bula Vinaka!

Welcome to this meeting. It has been a long time since we had a meeting of this size. In fact, the last large meetings that the Party organized were those leading up to the General Elections in May, 2006.

Today, we meet under different circumstances. The Government our Party led was removed from office by the Fiji Military Forces on 5th December, 2006. Since that time, as we all know, our freedoms have been severely restricted.

Our meeting today has been made possible under a permit issued by the Police. Attendance at this meeting has been limited to a maximum of 250 members. I believe we are close to that number.

We thank Government for the issuance of a permit. We plan to hold similar meetings in other centres around the country during the next few weeks. Let us hope that Government will grant the necessary permits as we apply for them.

The objectives of this meeting are two – fold:
· to enable us to brief you on what our Party has been doing since 2006; and
· to enable us to consult with you on the Constitution-making process announced recently by Government.

I will tackle the first objective, and our Party Leader, Mr Laisenia Qarase will take us through the Constitution –making process.

Reports Bainimarama in poor health

Bainimarama with the Bougainville delegation.

The illegal leader, Frank Bainimarama, is reported to be unwell.

Insiders say he has been sick since last week.

A minor stroke and heart problems have been mentioned and there is talk he may be flown to China for treatment.

 
Insiders say he has not conducted any ministerial duties this week and has just been at home.

 
However, a picture (see above) of him dated May the 28th, (two days ago) shows him with a delegation from the Autonomous Government of Bougainville, who are here to look at how Fiji structures land leases.

According to the regime's website, Bainimarama met members of the delegation on Monday morning where they presented their sevusevu requesting permission to learn how the government has been successful in running its affairs without outside influence.

Who is picking up Yash Ghai's tab?

An opening to ask the sixty thousand dollar question: who is paying constitutional expert Yash Ghai to head the Commission to replace the abrogated 1997 Constitution?

A Fiji Village story today says Ghai has started 'initial discussions with possible donors and the government on funding the process'.

  

We can only surmise the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) constitutional consultant hopes to obtain funding from his own international governance body.

The Kenyan born Professor clearly has plenty of experience in drafting the constitutions of many conflict-ridden countries. 

He is also a qualified lawyer who presumably cherishes the rule of law and respects legal decisions of the nation’s courts.

So it must be asked again: why is he so determined to add another notch to his already impressive CV at the expense of legality in Fiji? 

After all, as a lawyer he knows the Fiji Court of Appeal ruled the 1997 Constitution of Fiji stands and that the present regime is illegal.

Ghai's CV says he was the head of the UNDP Constitution Advisory Support Unit in Nepal. His wife, Jill Cottrell, is also a former consultant for the UNDP in Nepal. He has also been working as a consultant for UNDP on the constitutions for Somalia and Libya.

While in Suva to set up the Constitutional Commission’s office in a corner of the now defunct parliamentary complex, Ghai revealed that funding is being sought from the UN Development Programme, as well as the interim government.

It's obvious that in his pursuit to obtain a hefty consultancy fee from the UNDP, Ghai is willing to ignore the Fiji Court of Appeal ruling and embark on the illegal mission of drafting a new Constitution.

Isn't it time he told us what he is charging to help legitimise a process that is clearly illegal?

Fiji Correction Service 'goes on the record' for besieged Naivalurua

BONE OF CONTENTION: Fiji Corrections Service statement defends Mrs Naivalurua's involvement in her husband's work but fails to tackle the kickback claims.

Naivalurua and Katonibau

The Fiji Corrections Service has rallied for Ioane Naivalurua defending him from criticism he is an 'opportunist who has left a legacy of corruption, manipulation and hypocrisy unparalleled in the history of leadership of the Fiji Corrections Service'.

In a statement sent to Coupfourpointfive, the  Corrections Service takes umbrage at the former FCS deputy commissioner who made the charge, Orisi Katonibau, saying it shows 'the hallmarks of the previous leadership that promoted a culture of corruption and inefficiency.'

Katonibau detailed a number of incidents and examples to us to prove what he and others have said is the ineffective and corrupt leadership of Naivalurua, the former Corrections Minister and the current Police Commissioner. (see earlier story Former deputy commissioner Fiji Corrections Service: Police commissioner a 'corrupt opportunist' May 12). 

His revelations came on the heel of those of police moles who linked Naivalurua to the Toorak CID break in and an international drug ring, along with his deputies Henry Brown and Isikeli Ligairi.

In the May the 24th statement ('response to an article on your blog') and emailed by the Services' public relations officer, Ana Tudrau-Tamani, the Corrections Service puts up a defence for Naivalurua for most of the allegations but fails to address the most crucial one - that of corruption and kickbacks.

Katonibau says Naivalurua was seen with other senior officers in 2010 at a lunch in a Suva restaurant taking an envelope containing $50 bills and that two Chinese nationals who were imprisoned at Suva prison for trying to bribe the Permanent Secretary of Finance were later released under extramural punishment by Naivalurua.

The FSC statement took issue with Katonibau speaking out.