In a powerful demonstration of regional solidarity against corruption, the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) and the Anti-Corruption Commission Tonga (ACC Tonga) today signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a ceremony held at the Holiday Inn, Suva. This significant agreement strengthens cooperation between the two nations.
This historic agreement marks a significant step forward in collaborative efforts to combat corruption and promote transparency and accountability in both nations.
The MoU was signed by FICAC’s Commissioner Ms. Barbara Malimali and Executive Director for Anti-Corruption Commission Tonga’s Ms. Mele Mangisi.
Ms. Malimali said she believed that the fight against corruption in the region has provided a powerful platform for coming together in order to build and strengthen the anti-corruption network for the prevention and fight against corruption in the Blue Pacific.
“This agreement signed today will allow for our mutual and collaborative understanding in terms of sharing common knowledge and continuous capacity building between our two agencies in the fight against corruption,” Ms. Malimali said.
“Our MoU expresses the understanding and common interests of our two agencies to advance the anti-corruption vision of the Pacific, in line with international and regional commitments, including the Teieniwa Pacific Unity Against Corruption Vision. As such, sharing our experiences and challenges will provide opportunities for our improvement and strengthen our united fight against corruption.
“I thank the Anti-Corruption Commissioner of the Kingdom of Tonga for taking strong proactive steps in showing great interest in entering into an MOU with the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption. This strongly demonstrates your vision in the advancement and strengthening of anti-corruption not only at a national level but regionally as well.”
Ms. Mangisi said the MoU will assist her organisation, which is relatively newly established, to carry out its roles and responsibilities better.
“With the MoU signing, it is a milestone for the ACC Tonga because we have a new office, and we started with the operation in July 2024. This is one of the first milestones for the office in terms of regional collaboration and knowledge sharing, so basically the MOU will give Tonga the opportunity to learn a lot from FICAC, considering FICAC is a pioneer in the anti-corruption initiatives,” Ms. Mangisi said.
“We are grateful to FICAC, our partner agencies, the government of the United Kingdom, and the UNDP for making this happen. ACC Tonga is still in the early stages of establishing itself. Firstly, we will be looking at the operational structure and process, and this is where FICAC will help us, especially since the study tour was crucial for me and my colleague to understand the FICAC operational structure, particularly the investigation, corruption prevention, and prosecution. The main takeaway was understanding the FICAC operational structure and raising public awareness of corruption prevention, which is a crucial aspect of the ACC in Tonga. We believe that an informed country is the first line of defence in the fight against corruption.”