Provisional candidate for the National Federation, Romanu Tikotikoca had allegedly raped his maid in Papua New Guinea in 2014.

According to documents obtained by FBC news the alleged incident happened when former Police Commissioner Romanu Tikotikoca was Fiji’s ambassador to Papua New Guinea four years ago.

The alleged incident took place in 2014 when our then ambassador to PNG Romanu Tikotikoca raped his PNG maid at his Port Moresby residence at a time when his wife had gone back to Fiji for three months.

The woman said after two weeks for Madam to return from Fiji in August he came home to have his lunch, he told her to massage him and not in the sitting room, there is another bed room under the house.

She said Tikotikoca laid down on the settee and told her to massage his back. He was wearing his Lap Lap when she was massaging his back he removed his Lap Lap and turned around grabbed her and push her down on the carpet.

The woman says Tikotikoca then allegedly raped her.

She said that the alleged rape affected her marriage with her family dishonoring and blaming her for the rape whilst demanding compensation.

The woman said her husband told the High Commissioner to compensate him for what happened and leave his family. He demanded K40, 000 for compensation. The High Commissioner already paid K22, 000 in form of instalments. The K22, 000 he paid five times in K5,000 and K2,000 and K18,000 was left for him to pay to her husband."

The woman said the balance was paid by Tikotikoca when he came back to PNG after a Fijian Christmas holiday.

When Tikotikoca returned from Christmas holiday in Fiji, she called him to settle the outstanding amount with her husband but he said he just came back and will need time to have this amount collected. Her husband threatened her to settle the payment quickly or he will take the matter to court or cause some problems with the Fiji Embassy. So far her uncle has managed to settle the situation and the money will be paid."

In her Statutory Declaration, she declared that on Monday 23rd February 2015, she received the following payments: Five thousand kina as the balance of payment which will be given to her husband and five thousand kina for her personal use to help her resettle following the alleged incident.

The document was witnessed by Fiji’s then First Secretary to PNG.

Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre Coordinator Shamima Ali says compensation is not a solution to rape.

“We believe this should not happen at all and people who also allow themselves to be paid off and often we find that paying off is done to the families, not to the victim, the families the people who allow this to happen should be criminally charged for this kind of thing unfortunately our laws don’t have that.”

femLINK Director, Sharon Bhagwan Rolls says the case raises the issue that diplomatic immunity should not be the “get-out-of-jail-free” card it’s perceived as particularly when it comes to allegations of any form of sexual and gender based violence.

Attempts to get Romanu Tikotikoca on camera or via phone interview have been futile as he is in Levuka attending a funeral.

His party leader Biman Prasad seemed surprised when we asked him to comment on the issue.

Prasad has asked for the documents pertaining to the rape allegation and says he will not comment until he speaks to his provisional candidate Romano Tikotikoca.