Society President Laurel Vaurasi

There needs to be a time frame in place when someone is lodging a complaint with the Commission responsible for the Code of Conduct.

This was stressed by the Fiji Law Society when presenting their submission to the Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights on the Code of Conduct Bill.

Society President Laurel Vaurasi says in the bill, it mentions that upon receipt of a complaint, the commission must notify the complainant in writing of the receipt of the complaint as soon as practicable.

Vaurasi says they suggest that as soon as practicable be also given an additional requirement that it is no later than 21 days.

“I am not trying to say that the Commission does know better about as soon as practicable but there are different reasons, otherwise you should give a definition or at least some timeline.”

Vaurasi says this is to ensure that the complaint is processed without undue delay.

She adds that for the accused, it’s important that they are aware of the complaint at the earliest, so that they are able make the necessary arrangements for their response.