Speculation ends after naming of nine MPs in FICAC investigations
The naming of the nine members of Parliament investigated in connection with alleged false claims of parliamentary allowances has ended speculation about who was on the list.
While there is a lot of discussions on social media on this subject, let’s get one thing clear. No one is guilty yet. They are innocent until proven guilty. That is the basic tenet of the rule of law,
The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption will only lay charges if it finds sufficient evidence to prosecute. In court it would have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they are guilty. If it fails the cases fail. Right through this process the suspects are given the opportunity to defend themselves as part of their basic rights in the interests of fairness and natural justice.
It is important that we do not jump into conclusion. Let’s allow the normal process of the law to happen.
The onus is on the political parties to decide what action they would take against their MPs,
SODELPA has taken the position that it will leave it to the rule of law to take its own course and the MPs are innocent until proven guilty.
It is also up to MPs to decide whether to step aside pending the investigations. In all honesty they should be able to say , now that they have been through the initial questioning, where they might have gone wrong or that everything they did was above board. If they know that they have not done anything wrong they should not be worried
But this whole process is good for transparency and accountability in the parliamentary process. This is understood to be the first time that this issue has come under scrutiny. Obviously there will be comparisons with previous parliamentary practices.
If there are grey areas these investigations will clarify them.
From a public perspective, this process is healthy. It assures people that even members of the highest Institution of the land can be held accountable for their conduct.