The Fijian Elections Office says it is deeply concerned and astonished at the way the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has alleged to have propagated false information.

Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem was responding to a story published by the outlet today titled “Fiji’s attorney general caught in extraordinary dispute days out from national election”.

Only two days ago, the Fijian Elections Office published a statement to correct the misinformation in a letter by the National Federation Party, and the FEO says that despite this, the ABC Reporter based in Fiji went ahead and published her opinion and labelled the FEO’s response as defensive.

The NFP claim that Sayed-Khaiyum visited Star Printery in Raiwaqa in the early hours of last Thursday, and the reason for his visit is unknown.

The NFP also claimed that Sayed-Khaiyum ordered that the CCTV cameras on the premises be turned off and that he refused to leave on the request of FEO officials because ballot papers were being printed.

Biman Prasad’s party alleges that the police were called, and Sayed-Khaiyum refused to leave at their request.

Saneem says that the ABC reporter miserably fails to understand that the NFP allegations were without any evidence or merit.

He says that she fails to understand that on December 1st, Star Printery stopped printing ballot papers.

The SOE says it is concerned that the ABC attempted to portray the entire electoral process in the manner it did based on the incompetence of one reporter.

He says not only has the ABC concealed critical information, but it has effectively contributed to the disinformation propagated by the NFP.

He adds that the entire story that was published appears to have been designed to bring disrepute to the Fijian electoral process.

Saneem says the reporter mischievously proceeds to pass judgment on several matters and appears to give her personnel a subjective opinion.

Saneem claims that the ABC also covered the FEO response in such a poor manner, it failed to inform its audience of the most critical facts that proved the allegations incorrect.

The SOE has urged the ABC to issue a public apology and provide precise explanations for its actions without reducing the prominence given to the initial story.

Questions have been sent to the ABC.