New Zealand lawyer quits as Fiji elections head
Updated
New Zealand lawyer Maurice Coughlan has withdrawn from the position as Fiji's Supervisor of elections. He says he's informed Fiji's Constitutional Commission that he was withdrawing from the position. When asked if he'd resigned or was asked to, he replied that it was probably mutual.
Presenter: Geraldine Coutts
Questions were raised last week following Mr Coughlan's appointment, because he failed to reveal to the interviewing committee that he had been disbarred by the New Zealand Law Paractitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. Mr Coughlan was struck off the register in NZ from 1992 to 2002 due to "personal trading" issues.
He was reinstated on October 15th 2003. One of the statements in the documentation provided by the New Zealand Law society considered as a mititating cirmstance that "We've been told about your alcoholic problems extending over a period of years".
During the course of the disciplinary hearing the six panelists accepted Mr Coughlan's guilty plea and struck him off.
Questions have also been raised about the authenticity of some of Mr Coughlan's qualifications - claims Mr Coughlan told Pacific Beat in a telephone converntion are untrue.
And in response to questions as to why Australia had agreed to supplement his salary package, a government source claims the offer was made over twelve months ago and that it is the responsibiltiy of Fiji's Constitutional Commission and Fiji's Public Service Commission to check the bonfides of successful applicants.
