Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (27 May 2017): Cook Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu

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These updates are provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Anti-Corruption Project for Southeast Asia, and the joint UNODC - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project, with support of the Australian Government.

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COOK ISLANDS:
Corruption at all levels (opinion).  "Complaints about government employees helping directly in the election campaign of at least one candidate shows that as far as politics in this country are concerned, nothing much has changed."
http://www.cookislandsnews.com/opinion/smoke-signals/item/64469-busy-section-of-road-odd-place-for-checkpoint

FIJI:
PAC reports for 2009-2013 passed by majority of MPs.  The contents of the report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on the Audits of Government Commercial Companies and Commercial Statutory Authorities 2009-2013 - Volume One was passed in Parliament yesterday.
http://fijivillage.com/news/PAC-reports-for-2009-2013-passed-by-majority-of-MPs-rs295k/
Trial date set for former university official. The trial date has been set for the former Vice – Chancellor of the Fiji national University (FNU) facing corruption charges for the following year.
http://www.fbc.com.fj/fiji/51030/trial-date-set-for-former-fnu-vc
Ex-policemen to file no case to answer.  Defence lawyers in the hearing of two former police officers charged with bribery informed court today that they would be filing submissions for a no case to answer.
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=401852
There is no need to protect people if they are not doing their job - Acting PM
Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Civil Service Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has told parliament that there is no need to protect people if they are not doing their job.
http://fijivillage.com/news/There-is-no-need-to-protect-people-if-they-are-not-doing-their-job---Acting-PM-9k52rs/

VANUATU:
Commission of Inquiry into Misappropriation of Vanuatu's European Development Fund Launched. Minister of Justice, Ronald Warsal, has a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged misappropriation of European Development Fund 2017-2020.
http://www.pireport.org/articles/2017/05/23/commission-inquiry-misappropriation-vanuatus-european-development-fund-launched

Thank you to the team at UN Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Project for sharing these updates.  For more information, please contact:
Maria Adomeit, Regional Anti-Corruption Adviser, UNODC, maria.adomeit@unodc.org
Mihaela Stojkoska, Anti-Corruption Specialist - Pacific, UNDP, mihaela.stojkoska@undp.org
Luisa Senibulu, Governance Programme Associate, UNDP/UNODC, luisa.senibulu@undp.org

Maria Lee, Peace & Development Administrative Assistant, UNDP/UNODC, maria.lee@undp.org

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