Former Supervisor of Elections, Mohamed Saneem, has denied allegations made against him as he took the stand today facing a charge of receiving corrupt benefit.

It is alleged that Saneem requested and obtained $55,944.03 in tax relief on his back pay from former Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
Sayed-Khaiyum is accused of executing a second Deed of Variation and Addendum, which allegedly approved or waived additional deductible taxes owed by Saneem without proper approval from the President or the Constitutional Offices Commission (COC). At the time, Sayed-Khaiyum was acting Prime Minister and Chair of the COC.

The former SoE also refuted claims by state witnesses that he favoured the FijiFirst party during his tenure. He told the court that he acted on complaints raised against multiple political parties, including FijiFirst.

Saneem explained that FijiFirst had once lodged complaints against two rival parties. He said he reviewed the evidence, sought clarification from the parties involved, and dismissed the complaints when appropriate.

He maintained that the tax relief came from his back pay. Chief Justice Salesi Temo acknowledged Saneem’s frustration, noting that the situation would understandably feel like a “slap in the face,” given the large amount taxed from his pay.

Saneem stated that a second deed was later made to address the tax issue, and he also requested relocation for his family after his home was allegedly broken into. He added that the refund amount was calculated by the Financial Controller of the Fijian Elections Office and approved by the Director of Corporate Services.

The prosecution questioned why Saneem did not address the issue with the COC and pointed out that the COC Secretariat had claimed to have no knowledge of changes made to the deed.

Saneem responded that he did write to the Secretariat.

The matter has now been adjourned to 7th of next month for closing submissions.

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