News
Court Convicts Former iTLTB Officer, Businessman in Bribery Case
Posted by Media Team 13 August 2026
The Nadi Magistrates Court has convicted two men, Solomone Keteravu and Jason Zhong, of bribery offences under the Prevention of Bribery Act 2007, following charges laid by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC).
The judgment was delivered by Resident Magistrate Talei Kean.
Mr Keteravu, a former Assistant Estate Officer at the iTaukei Land Trust Board (iTLTB), was convicted of accepting an advantage of $300 on or about 1 December 2018 in Nadi.
Mr Zhong, a local businessman, was convicted of offering the $300 advantage to Mr Keteravu.
During the hearing, Mr Keteravu testified that he was approached by a landowner seeking financial assistance for the funeral of a close relative.
He said that, after informing the landowner that he did not have money to assist, he contacted Mr Zhong to ask whether he could help with the funeral expenses.
Mr Keteravu testified that Mr Zhong agreed to send $300 through Western Union from Suva on the same day.
He also told the Court that, at the time, he had been liaising with Mr Zhong and the landowner regarding land matters.
Mr Zhong testified that the money was sent solely to assist the landowner with the funeral and for no other purpose.
In its judgment, the Court found substantial evidence supporting the existence of a reasonable excuse, including that the funeral was genuine, the landowner had requested assistance, Mr Keteravu had retained none of the money, and compassion formed part of the transaction.
However, the Court found that Mr Keteravu had selected an iTLTB customer seeking land, linked the request for assistance with the landowner’s prospective land, personally received the money, arranged the meeting between the parties, and failed to declare the transaction despite iTLTB policy and his knowledge of the proper procedure.
The Court noted that assisting with a funeral was not inherently improper.
However, the issue was the use of an existing official relationship to obtain and transmit money in connection with a land opportunity without disclosure.
The Court found both men guilty beyond reasonable doubt and convicted them accordingly.
The Court has granted both men 28 days to appeal.
