Ex-estate officer faces jail time for bribery

The Nadi Magistrates Court has sentenced to jail a former Estate Officer of the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) for two counts of bribery. Mesake Beranaliva has been sentenced to 18 months in jail and fined $1000 for each count of bribery to be served concurrently.

In default of payment of fine, Beranaliva faces an additional 100 days imprisonment and this will be served consecutively to the 18 months prison term. Beranaliva, who was not present during the sentencing, was arrested at the weekend and handed over to the prison authorities. Beranaliva was charged in 2013 by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) for two counts of bribery. Beranaliva, in May 2013, in the Western Division while being a public servant namely an estate officer with the TLTB without lawful authority solicited and accepted an advantage of $300 on account of having performed an act in his capacity as a public servant; namely showing the boundary pegs on a land to be leased by the TLTB to one Navinesh Naicker. Also between May and June 2013, Beranaliva while being employed as a public servant without lawful authority solicited and accepted an advantage of $600 on account of having performed an act in his capacity as a public servant namely issuing an offer letter for a piece of land to be leased by the TLTB to Navinesh Naicker. Beranaliva has 28 days to appeal.