‘They must face the law’
THE government should not be seen supporting someone that breaks the law.
These were the sentiments of Minister for Youth and Sports Jese Saukuru when asked about what should be done to address the issue of Fijian players overseas imprisoned for criminal acts.
The latest player caught in the intricacies of the law was former Flying Fijians lock Api Ratuniyarawa who was sentenced to two years and 10 months for two charges of assault by penetration and one charge of sexual assault in Wales.
Saukuru said a collective effort is needed to address this issue with Fijian players overseas.
“When somebody breaks the law, they must face the law, we can’t be supporting anyone that breaks the law of a particular country, you don’t want that to happen in Fiji as well.
“Government must never be seen to be supporting someone that breaks the law because we are built on laws, the government makes the law. We shouldn’t be the first ones to break the law by accommodating somebody that is not following it,” he said.
“Although we feel for all our rugby players overseas in this situation, we’ll need a lot of awareness done, encouragement on our part to try and prepare them for when they enter international territories. As far as government is concerned, we can’t be protecting anyone that is breaking the law of a nation.”
Another Fijian player who faced jail term for sexual assault was former Fiji Bati and NRL star Jarryd Hayne. The NRL superstar was found guilty of sexual intercourse without consent and has been behind bars since May last year.