News
Former Provincial Officer Jailed for Corruption Offences
Posted by Media Team 18 May 2026
A former Assistant Provincial Treasurer of the Kadavu Provincial Council has been sentenced to 13 months imprisonment by the Suva Magistrates Court on 14 May 2026.
44-year-old Suliasi Lau was charged by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) with seven counts of Obtaining a Financial Advantage and four counts of Falsification of Documents.
On the counts of Obtaining a Financial Advantage, it was found that between 1 June 2019 and 31 July 2019, Mr Lau received cash payments collected as provincial levies from four villages in Kadavu and failed to deposit the funds into the Kadavu Provincial Council account.
He also misappropriated the allowances of three village headmen or Turaga-ni-Koro.
In total, Mr Lau obtained a financial advantage of $5,780 for which he was not entitled to.
On the counts of Falsification of Documents, Mr Lau was found to have falsified the Council’s Payment Vouchers by forging the signatures of three village headmen with the intention to misappropriate their allowances.
In delivering the sentence, Acting Chief Magistrate Mr Josaia Waqaivolavola said Mr Lau had deprived the hardworking village headmen of their rightful allowances, as well as disadvantaged villager through his criminal conduct.
The Acting Chief Magistrate said the court could only imagine the hardships caused to the village headmen when their allowances were delayed, and to the villagers affected by Mr Lau’s actions.
The court considered Mr Lau’s mitigating facts, including full restitution and made deductions to his sentence accordingly.
Acting Chief Magistrate Mr Waqaivolavola noted that while Mr Lau was a first-time offender, he was not a young offender.
He stated that the courts are more inclined to avoid imposing custodial sentences where an offender is both young and a first offender.
However, in this case, although Mr Lau was a first offender, he was not considered a young offender.
Therefore, as a deterrent to Mr Lau and potential offenders, Acting Chief Magistrate Mr Waqaivolavola imposed a custodial sentence of 13 months imprisonment.
Mr Lau has been granted 28 days to appeal the sentence.
Mr Lau was represented by Mr Tobia Ravuniwa of the Legal Aid Commission while FICAC Counsels Mr Joshua Prasad and Mr Immanuel Turaga appeared for the prosecution.
