Peceli Naviticoko 
Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption
The fate of whether to phase out the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption or retain it now hangs in the balance.
Attorney General and Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga says currently the system is moving into one court for corruption cases as they can be dealt with by any judicial officer, and the coalition government is at the very beginning of looking into that commitment.
He says that currently there are two options for FICAC, one is to upskill the institution in terms of human resources because the current public perception of FICAC is low and the other is to absorb FICAC into the current police system.
“The fact is FICAC was weaponized by the previous government to target those who don’t go along with their views, and we need to change that perception, but let’s admit it: FICAC is an institution that is well resourced with a legal framework, and with the right leadership, they can achieve what it was aimed to do.”
Turaga says at this stage he won’t comment further, but probably an outcome will be known in the next three to six months.
He says that right now the Ministry is seeking views through consultation and has prepared some papers that have gone into parliament, but they are still in their early stages.
Questions have also been sent to FICAC on the matter, but they remain unanswered.
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