Fiji’s National Federation Party suspended for 30 days over accounts

Report from Fiji Village

By Vijay Narayan in Suva

Fiji’s opposition National Federation Party has been suspended for 30 days with immediate effect for contravening the Political Parties Registration, Conduct Funding and Disclosures Decree.

The Registrar of Political Parties, Mohammed Saneem, said the NFP’s accounts were not audited by an accountant certified by the Fiji Institute of Accountants.

Saneem said this was brought to the Fijian Elections Office’s attention last December by the Fiji Institute of Accountants.

He said the Elections Office asked the company engaged by NFP if it was a registered member of the Fiji Institute of Accountants, and senior management confirmed that it was not.

Saneem said this constituted a breach of the Political Parties Decree.

The decree required the accounts to be audited by an accountant certified by the Fiji Institute of Accountants.

Saneem said the NFP had 60 days to remedy the breach or face deregistration as a political party.

During this period of suspension, the NFP could not operate, function, represent or hold itself out to be a political party.