Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa
Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa took the witness stand this afternoon and addressed questions from the defense in the trial involving former Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem.
Mataiciwa told the court that had she cited other documents presented today, she would have sought further clarification.
She confirmed that no action was taken to arbitrate allegations raised against Saneem when questioned on whether he was denied natural justice.
Defense counsel Devanesh Sharma asked Mataiciwa if she was aware that Saneem had not received his acting allowance to date, to which she replied she was not.
Sharma also put to her that Saneem had previously suspended an officer over mobile wallet transaction issues, which Mataiciwa acknowledged.
The Supervisor of Elections confirmed that Dawai had suggested the charges in a letter of complaint, which she acted on and lodged with the police.
When questioned on Section 18 of the Electoral Act, which requires alleged corruption cases to be referred to FICAC, Mataiciwa said she bypassed it, citing a lack of confidence in the institution.
She also confirmed that the Deed of Variation did not favour Saneem, as it required him to pay ordinary taxes unless a penalty applied, which would then be covered by the government.
During recross-examination, Mataiciwa said she prefers criminal allegations from the Fijian Elections Office be handled by the police and admitted she was unaware of the difference between ordinary tax and penalty tax.
She also confirmed that her complaint referenced only the Crimes Act.
The trial is set to continue tomorrow.
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