The arrest and detention of a dual Fijian and British national by Fiji’s anti-corruption agency over the weekend has sparked concerns about freedom of expression from the country’s politicians, advocates and journalists.
Charlie Charters, a former senior manager at the Fiji Rugby Union and a journalist, is in custody at the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) headquarters in Suva.
He was charged in the Suva Magistrates Court today following reports by local news media at the weekend that he was being held “on suspicion of aiding and abetting a FICAC whistleblower”.
- READ MORE: FICAC defends silence in Charlie Charters case amid social media commentary
- Charters bailed and stop departure issued
- Other FICAC reports
According to local media, Charters, 57, has written extensively about the inner workings of FICAC and the Fiji Sports Council, citing publicly available documents and his own sources.
He was scheduled to depart from Nadi International Airport for Sydney on Saturday.
However, he was stopped by FICAC officials and offered a “deal” to reveal his sources and carry on with his planned travel.
“But the terms of that deal were not acceptable to me or any right-thinking citizen. As a result I was arrested,” Charters said in a statement to Fiji media.
Fiji media ‘alarmed’
The Fijian Media Association (FMA) said it was “alarmed” at the anti-corruption agency’s actions.
“The detainment and arrest [of Charters] look like a re-enactment of scenes from a dark past that we fought hard to be free from,” it said in a statement.
The country’s Judicial Services Commission (JSC), which appoints the head of FICAC, held an emergency meeting on Sunday.
The JSC confirmed that it would make “certain recommendations” to Fijian President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, including the arrest of Charters by end of business on Monday.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
The Fiji Times reports FICAC has defended its decision not to comment publicly on the investigation involving Charters, saying it would have been inappropriate to do so while inquiries were ongoing, regardless of commentary circulating on social media.
In a statement issued today, FICAC confirmed that Charters appeared before the Suva Magistrates’ Court and has been charged with two counts of aiding and abetting, contrary to Section 45 of the Crimes Act 2009, read together with Section 13G(1) of the FICAC Act 2007.
Section 13G of the FICAC Act makes it an offence for an officer or former officer of the Commission to divulge official information without written authorisation.
Section 45 of the Crimes Act provides that a person who aids and abets the commission of an offence is deemed to have committed that offence and is punishable accordingly.
Granted bail
Fiji Village reports Magistrate Shageeth Somaratne granted Charters, who lives in Hong Kong, $2000 bail and he was barred from travel and the case was adjourned until March 2.
Charters had earlier said in a letter written from FICAC custody last night that he had been approached by whistleblower(s) with the information that FICAC had hired the daughter of the Fiji Sports Council CEO just days after FICAC had cleared the same CEO of converting a public sponsorship for private benefit.
The letter by Charters said That he was offered a “deal” at Nadi International Airport on Saturday to tell FICAC about the whistleblower(s) and he could get on his flight.
Charters said FICAC “campaigns relentlessly” for public and private bodies to set up whistleblower policies but FICAC itself had no such whistleblower policy.
