Ritika Pratap 
[Photo: FILE]
Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu says during his term as the Defence Minister, he was aware of the drug issue through regular briefings held occasionally by the Police Commissioner to the Prime Minister and him
Seruiratu says it is incorrect to say that nothing was done to tackle the drug problem by the previous government.
He was responding to Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga, who, while responding to concerns from the people of Tailevu on the escalating drug issue in the province, blamed the FijiFirst administration once again, claiming they did not do anything on the issue.
Seruiratu clarified that how the issues were being tackled was the responsibility of the then Police Commissioner, and that the Prime Minister or the force’s line minister did not interfere with the operations.
“We are aware of the drug problems, but in terms of how it is being addressed, that is the responsibility of the police commissioner and any support that needs to be provided to the commissioner of police because of the role of the commissioner according to the Constitution; that is something that the government does not try to address through the office of the minister.”
Seruiratu says these briefings were confidential.
He further states that the previous government attempted to separate the anti-drug unit from the rest of the Fiji Police Force due to widespread allegations of corruption within the ranks.
He stresses that while the Police Commissioner handled internal corruption, their government’s strategy was to isolate specialized drug operations from standard police work.
