15 May 2014

Call to end Fiji regime pay secrecy

9:23 am on 15 May 2014

The Fiji Labour Party says the prime minister must provide audited accounts of his salary from April 2010 onwards.

This comes after Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama told people in Rotuma that reports are wrong to suggest he was being paid nearly one million US dollars a year.

The Labour leader, Mahendra Chaudhry, says it is necessary to establish the truth as in 2010 the responsibility of paying ministers was removed from the Treasury and given to an accounting firm run by the attorney-general's aunt.

no caption

Photo: Fiji Labour Party

The Labour Party says it has been informed that the process has now been reversed because the regime leader plans to register a political party, making it mandatory to disclose incomes and assets.

The party says Rear Admiral Bainimarama needs to respond to reports that family trusts are being set up to overcome the requirements of the political parties decree.

Last year, the attorney-general repeatedly failed to keep his promise to disclose his and the prime minister's salary, which is alleged to be larger than the pay of the US president.