[Source: Supplied]

Five former Officers of the Land Transport Authority have been charged by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption for corruption related offences.

The charges against these former Officers, stem from a scam that was perpetuated by them.

It involved the fraudulent conversion of 234 overseas driver’s licenses to local Fiji driver’s licenses from 2020 to early 2022.

Of these 234 licenses, 231 licenses were fake which were forged to give the appearance they were issued by authorities from various countries including Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea.

FICAC in a statement says the forging of the foreign driver’s licenses was done in order to meet the requirements by LTA.

The accused are Ponipate Seuvou, Sera Tulele, Adi Tabusiga Ligairi, Adi Akisi Duruibou and Cema Sau who appeared at the Nasinu Magistrates Court yesterday.

They are charged with Forgery contrary to Section 156 of the Crimes Act and Bribery (contrary to Sections 4 (1) and 4 (2) of the Prevention of Bribery Act.

FICAC says of the five accused persons, the main suspect behind the scam is Ponipate Seuvou who is alleged to have forged overseas licenses from the 231 applicants to make it seem as if all the applicants had been residing overseas and held dual licenses from those international countries.

Furthermore, it is alleged that Seuvou charged these applicants as well as three others who had genuine international licenses fees to facilitate their applications to LTA which allowed the applicants to be issued with Fijian driver’s licenses.

Several of the applicants who are currently residing overseas through the Pacific Labour Scheme were also charged up to $750 per application by Seuvou to facilitate their local Fijian driver’s licenses.

The fees that Seuvou purported to charge included costs for LTA fees, freight costs if the applicant was residing overseas, bribes for LTA Customer Service Officers whom he was colluding with.

FICAC says during the course of the investigation, it was ascertained that a few of the applicants who used Seuvou’s services have never been to the countries that Seuvou forged their purported overseas licenses from or had never been overseas at all.

Seuvou received over $128, 300 from all persons who applied for their local licenses.

It is further alleged that he paid out over $26, 800 as bribes to the other accused persons, as well as one suspect who has fled the country, in order to have the local drivers’ licenses unlawfully processed and issued.

FICAC Senior State Counsel Laite Bokini-Ratu informed the Court that the first phase of disclosures has been served to the five accused.

Resident Magistrate Jeremaia Savou granted a non-cash bail of $1000 for each of the accused and ordered them not to re-offend whilst on bail.

Seuvou, Tulele, Adi Tabusiga, Adi Akisi and Sau have also been ordered not to interfere with State witnesses, not to change their residential addresses without first informing the Court and to surrender all travel documents to the Court.

Seuvou has been ordered to report to the Valelevu Police Station once a month commencing from tomorrow, while Adi Akisi and Sau have started reporting from yesterday.

Tulele has been ordered to report to the FICAC Office once a month commencing from yesterday.

Adi Tabusiga has been ordered to report to the Savusavu Police Station once a month from yesterday.

A stop departure order has been issued against all accused persons.

The matter has been adjourned to July 24th.

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