Corruption in Fiji

Notable corruption cases

One of Fiji's most significant corruption cases involved the National Bank of Fiji (NBF) and the threat of its financial collapse in the 1990s due to poor lending practices. The bank was accused of favoring privileged groups, resulting in bad debts amounting to approximately $200 million. Originally established as a government-owned institution, the NBF expanded rapidly after the 1987 coups, with loans disproportionately approved for privileged groups, particularly indigenous Fijians, often without proper safeguards. The staggering amount of bad debt already amounted to 8% of Fiji's GDP. This incident burdened taxpayers as the Fijian government was forced to pay for the losses.

Another instance that highlighted the severity of corruption in Fiji was the controversy implicating the Ministry of Agriculture's Affirmative Action plan for indigenous Fijians and Rotumans in 2000. The funds intended for the enhancement of agricultural participation among these identified groups were misused. The majority of the cases of lost funds, the Permanent Secretary, his deputy, and Principal Accounts Officer approved applications without the necessary assessments and evaluation by experts. An audit also revealed mismanagement including a lack of authorization systems, poor planning, and absence of performance monitoring. Mismanagement and the lack of monitoring and control were seen as deliberate attempt by the Ministry to violate standard government procurement procedures.

The case of Bobby Jitendra Maharaj, the former CEO of the Fiji Commerce Commission, exemplified the extent of corruption involving high-ranking public officials. He was accused of instructing an employee to falsify information on an inspection form, falsely indicating that a company had undergone an inspection when, in reality, no such inspection had occurred. This incident underscores the vulnerabilities in regulatory oversight and the potential abuse of authority by senior officials. He was acquitted by the Magistrates Court in 2020, but the FICAC has appealed the decision. A similar case of corruption through the falsification of documents emerged in 2019. It involved Nanise Lacanivalu, a former executive officer of the Macuata Provincial Office. During her tenure from May 1 to September 30, 2019, she created duplicate receipts to manipulate financial records, allowing her to wrongfully enrich herself from the Office of the Provincial Administrator, despite knowing she did not have the right to receive such funds.