Litia Cava 
[File Photo]
Corruption complaints to the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption have soared.
This has exposed growing pressures on the watchdog’s ability to investigate and prosecute cases, according to Justice Minister and Acting Attorney-General Siromi Turaga.
Complaints jumped from 318 in 2023 to 681 last year before falling to 221 in the first half of this year after stricter filtering and referral of non-corruption matters to the Fiji Police Force.
Turaga said 152 cases remain under active investigation as of June 30 this year.
Substantive cases pending in court numbered 173 in 2023, 195 last year and 170 by mid-2025.
Convictions remain low with just nine in 2023, 13 last year and seven in the first six months of this year.
Turaga blamed court delays on overloaded diaries but noted that counsel now request adjournments of only three to ten days unless longer waits are unavoidable.
The figures were provided in response to an oral question raised Opposition MP Premila Kumar on the detailed data on complaints, ongoing cases and convictions looked after by FICAC.
Turaga warned that while public awareness campaigns have increased reporting, the surge is stretching FICAC’s capacity.
This, he states underlines the urgent need for stronger resources and faster legal processes to tackle corruption effectively.
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