Mosese Raqio 
The Criminal Records Bill 2026 is aimed at giving rehabilitated offenders a second chance, not removing accountability.
Assistant Minister for Justice Ratu Josaia Niudamu says the legislation is designed to create opportunities for people who have genuinely turned their lives around.
Responding to concerns that the law could create lifelong barriers for people who have already served their sentences, Niudamu says the Ministry of Justice carefully considered the issue during nationwide consultations and parliamentary reviews.
He says the bill’s core objective is restorative justice and rehabilitation.
Niudamu says consultations were conducted across Fiji’s 14 provinces, where communities were informed that the proposed law seeks to help offenders who have demonstrated positive change reintegrate into society.
He says many people have transformed their lives, earned the trust of their communities, and moved beyond their past mistakes.
Niudamu adds that while people supported second chances for minor offences, they also wanted serious crimes to remain part of criminal histories.
“So that is one of the good things about democracy. We go out, and as the coalition government stands for, we hear the views of the people, and that is one thing we have reflected in our new act.”
Meanwhile, Acting Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga says the bill strikes a balance between rehabilitation and public safety.
Turaga says the legislation reflects international approaches that recognise the importance of second chances while maintaining safeguards for serious offences.
