FIJI: Unionists wants independent investigation into Chaudhry
Updated
A Fiji trade union leader has called on Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry to step down while an investigation is carried out into income and tax allegations against him. Fiji Islands Council of Trade Unions Secretary, Attar Singh, says the allegations against the minister raised in the media recently are serious, and an independent probe is needed. He says it's been widely reported that Mr Chaudhry travelled to several countries in the wake of the 2000 coup and collected money to help the Indo-Fijian community. Fiji Interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry denies the allegations and says he has instructed his lawyers to take legal action against the Fiji Sun and the Fiji Times. He says he will no longer make any statements regarding the issue, stating that whatever has to be said now must be stated in court.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speakers: Fiji Islands Council of Trade Unions Secretary, Attar Singh
HILL: Fiji Interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry denies the allegations and says he has instructed his lawyers to take legal action against the Fiji Sun and the Fiji Times. He says he will no longer make any statements regarding the issue, stating that whatever has to be said now must be stated in court.
SINGH: Nobody here knew about these allegations until the media started making those allegations and to the media to be named the individual taxpayer who they say was the person was alleged to have done all these things. Now once that has been made public, these do raise serious questions, particularly because the individual is the minister of finance in the interim administration. And given that position, it is absolutely necessary that a proper investigation be carried out to substantiate what actually happened and then thereafter, for the administration to decide what kind of action should be taken.
And as I have said earlier, it is not just a matter of whether or not taxes have been paid or taxes are due. If taxes are due, they can repay it at a later time. But more importantly the issue of where the money has come from on which these taxes have been charged and what was the purpose of those funds. Those are issues that people of Fiji ought to know, particularly because after the 2000 political events here, Mr Chaudhry did travel abroad to several countries and on his return and around that time, there have been various reports of him making attempts to raise funds abroad. And we all know that he has families and relatives abroad have contributed towards this various fundraising.
Now the question does arise whether the funds, if they have allegedly been deposited in those accounts were monies destined for peoples assistance towards the communities and these are also questions that need to be answered.
HILL: But why are you trade union leader raising these questions?
SINGH: Because I was representing the farmers, the cane farmers and he has specifically said that the fundraising is being done for cane farming community and also the poor. So we have got a substantial number of cane farmers in our union affiliation, and it therefore becomes our concern.
HILL: Wouldn't it be the concern of the Fijian Land Revenue and Customs Authority to investigate these sorts of things?
SINGH: From what we read from the media, it seems that there was an investigation that was underway, but that investigation seems to have been aborted from reading of whatever has appeared in the media so far.
HILL: What do you think Mr Chaudhry ought to do under these circumstances?
SINGH: Well in any good society, a person in that sort of a position, holding public office, particularly that of the minister of finance, when certain allegations are made, he ought to step aside and then allow for that kind of investigation to take place without him being present or presiding over the ministry itself. Then only can the investigation be properly conducted. So these are concerns and that's the reason why it's important that he ought to step aside and allow such investigation to be conducted and thereafter clear the air on these issues. It's quite possible that he may not owe any taxes or it's quite possible that he may not be guilty at all, of anything. But because the allegations have been levelled, it's important in public interest and also in our members interest that these things are cleared.
HILL: Have you raised these concerns before in public or have you raised them perhaps directly with Mr Chaudhry himself?
SINGH: No, not at all. I mean we did not know about these issues, although these issues were being printed in the media on a daily basis or almost and over the last couple of months or so. But the name was not identified, the person wasn't identified and therefore the opportunity to raise the issues with him or in the media did not arise.
