Fiji's Opposition National Federation Party has moved to calm concerns over financial discrepancies raised by the Elections Office.
Krishna Datt. Photo: Supplied
Last week the party was found in breach of the Political Parties Act over its source of funding.
But NFP President Pio Tikoduadua said while some of the party's record-keeping and accounting needed improvement, there was no misuse or theft of funds.
Addressing the NFP's AGM in Suva on the weekend Tikoduadua said they were working with the Elections Office to address the issues.
"It is clear to me that in some cases our record-keeping and accounting needs to be sharpened up. Now I am the president of the party it is my job to make sure that the party gets this right."
Tikoduadua said the NFP had secured a new auditor to look into the party's accounts.
The NFP had been given 21 days to resubmit its audited accounts to the Registrar of Political Parties Mohammed Saneem who had said the NFP's list of donations submitted were not true.
Tikoduadua reassured members and supporters at the AGM that no one had alleged any funds had been misused or stolen.
He said this could not happen because the NFP was a small party and there "was very little money to misuse anyway".
Photo: Fiji govt
Former MP slams registrar over NFP 'witch-hunt'
Meanwhile, former Labour Party MP Krishna Datt has reportedly claimed the "NFP is a victim of a witch-hunt" by Mr Saneem and his office.
Datt said he believed the disputed NFP accounts could be rectified.
"The problems are with accounting and these are people who keep accounts and that can be remedied if there are errors in that it will be remedied," he told the FBC.
"I think the NFP has been working in compliance with every request that the elections office has made."
Datt said claims by the Registrar that funds from the party's relief and welfare account were used for other purposes were far-fetched.
"Just imagine, here is a member of parliament contributing his salary, his allowances to a party relief fund because they say you can't contribute to political purposes beyond the $FJ10,000 limit or whatever."
"And now they are hounding why is this extra or less or whatever. It is a separate fund within the political party structure for relief and social welfare.
"If you run a political party before as I have, political party offices get several requests from passerbys. People who come there seeking assistance, relief and it becomes inevitable so the party does to create a little fund of some sort," Dutt said.
Pio Tikoduadua told the AGM the NFP was taking the claims by the Registrar very seriously.
Tikoduadua said the new auditor, Naiveli and Co, was looking into the party's accounts.
"We will work with the registrar and his team and our new auditors Naiveli and company to answer his questions and if our accounts have to be corrected, we will correct them."
Saneem is expected to meet with the NFP auditors this week.
