Pacific Anti-Corruption Updates (17 April 2021): Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, PNG, Tonga, Cook Islands
FIJI:
iTaukei Land Trust Board commit to anti-bribery goals. The iTaukei Land Trust Board becomes the fifth institution to join the ‘I don’t accept bribes’ campaign, to which, the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) has commended the TLTB for joining in the fight against the incitement to bribery. TLTB will undergo training as part of the ‘I don’t accept bribes’ campaign conducted by the FICAC.
https://ficac.org.fj/pg_news.php?pg=1428
USP pro-chancellor Thompson replies to call to resign. The University of the South Pacific (USP) pro-chancellor Winston Thompson says that the USP Students Association has two members on the USP Council and they should not broadcast matter dealt with by the council to the world…[after] a letter written by the USPSA [called] for his resignation, “We have lost confidence in the pro-chancellor and view the position as being highly politically motivated.”
https://www.fijitimes.com/thompson-replies-to-call-to-resign/
SAMOA:
JAWS President to chair anti-corruption network. Samoa has taken a leading role in the Pacific’s anti-corruption Journalists’ Network (PACJN) following the selection of Rudy Bartley, President of the Journalists Association of Western Samoa (JAWS) to chair the network’s steering committee. The announcement was made during a virtual meeting, ‘The Role of Whistleblowers in Preventing Corruption in the Pacific’ hosted by the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) and the United Nations Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC).
https://www.fijitimes.com/jaws-president-to-chair-anti-corruption-network/
SOLOMON ISLANDS:
Double votes detected in Samoa election count. The Office of the Electoral Commission in Samoa has confirmed that dozens of voters voted twice in last week's elections.
PNG:
Covid-19 catering scandal highlights PNG government failure to publish promised reports. The latest scandal over catering services at the Rita Flynn Isolation Centre highlights the government’s broken promises to publish previous audit reports and break the cycle of impunity enjoyed by senior bureaucrats. The tsunami of corruption that is drowning our nation can only be addressed through greater transparency and public accountability, yet the Prime Minister has repeatedly broken his promises to publish previous audit reports and hold people accountable for corruption and mismanagement.
https://actnowpng.org/blog/blog-entry-covid-catering-scandal-highlights-govt-failure-publish-reports
TONGA:
Trial starts of Lavulavu couple charged with obtaining money by false pretences. The trial against a current Cabinet Minister and People’s Representative to Parliament, ‘Akosita Lavulavu and her husband, ‘Etuate Lavulavu, also a former Cabinet Minister, started on April 12 at the Nuku’alofa Supreme Court.
COOK ISLANDS:
Cook Islands Police receive added boost to sea surveillance abilities. Small island countries need to monitor and keep building their capability through training and utilising advanced technology to manage the threat of crime in the region, including the sea trafficking of drugs and illegal fishing. The police will be better placed to monitor the Cook Islands’ EEZ and work closely with its international partners in the surveillance of the broader Pacific region.
https://www.cookislandsnews.com/internal/national/crime/police-receive-added-boost/