Fiji Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has confirmed that he had asked Fiji Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry resign as Finance Minister in 2008.

This comes after Chaudhry denied claims made by Attorney General earlier this week on FBC’s Aaina talk back show on Radio Fiji 2.

Sayed-Khaiyum had said that he personally asked Chaudhry to tender his resignation.

At the time of his departure, Chaudhry had said that the decision to leave was his own, however, Sayed-Khaiyum has confirmed the directive came down from Bainimarama.

The AG says he personally went to Chaudhry’s house one night on instructions from the Prime Minister who was concerned that the FLP Leader’s tax matters were bringing disrepute to the government.

Chaudhry has denied that Sayed-Khaiyum ever came to his house to deliver any such message.

He adds the exchange control charges brought against him were politically motivated and contrived to silence him.

However, he also says that he would have resigned anyway as he was intending to contest the election that was expected in 2009.

Bainimarama says he sent Sayed-Khaiyum with a letter asking for Chaudhry’s resignation because of his case.

“We had to remove him because of his case, his tax case”

He adds that his government was not going to be part or party to that.