Press Release

Three-Year Jail Term for Former WAF Employee

Posted by Media Team 30 January 2026

A former Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) employee has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by the Nadi Magistrates Court for a corruption-related offence.

Sairusi Nageti was sentenced today before Resident Magistrate Mareta Tikoisuva after pleading guilty to one count of Obtaining a Financial Advantage.

The court heard that between 1 July 2018 and 31 October 2018, Mr. Nageti, while employed as a Technical Assistant for Rural Projects at WAF and based in Lautoka, was responsible, along with another WAF officer, for delivering water tanks to approved applicants in the Western Division, under the Rain Water Harvest Tank (RWHT) Project.

The RWHT Project is a government grant initiative that provides free water tanks to families without water meters and to those experiencing intermittent water supply.

During this period, Mr. Nageti sold water tanks allocated to approved applicants for between $125 and $320 per tank.

He also unlawfully obtained an additional $1,940 by selling six RWHT water tanks to Nadi residents, knowing he was not entitled to receive that financial benefit.

The court also heard that Mr. Nageti admitted to the offence during a caution interview following his arrest.

Resident Magistrate Tikoisuva noted that the maximum penalty for Obtaining a Financial Advantage is 10 years’ imprisonment.

While the court considered that Mr Nageti was a first-time offender, his guilty plea entered on the day of trial, 4 years after the charge was filed, was not deemed an early plea.

Mr. Nageti was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of two years.
He has 28 days to appeal the sentence to the High Court.