Attorney General Siromi Turaga
Government remains tight-lipped on its decision to review the appointment of Filimoni Vosarogo as Attorney General and Minister for Justice.
This follows a meeting of Cabinet members this afternoon at the Government Building in Suva.
Attorney General Siromi Turaga, who was earlier confirmed to exchange ministerial portfolios with Vosarogo says he will not comment on the issue until a formal announcement is made in due course.
“We just have to wait until all of this is done than we will make an appointment.”
Meanwhile Opposition MP Jone Usamate says Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s decision to reconsider his stance on Vosarogo’s appointment is shocking and saddening.
He adds he is also bewildered that it took a letter from the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commander Brigadier General Jone Kalouniwai for Rabuka to reconsider his stance.
[Opposition MP Jone Usamate and Filimoni Vosarogo]
“The provisions of the role of the RFMF vis-a-viz the protection of the Constitution, were put in place specifically for these kind of situations. They were put in place to specifically stop us going down the kind of slippery slope that we have been in the past, and that we had been going down with the decision to appoint Hon. Vosarogo as AG.”
Usamate also questioned government’s decision to consult with legal stalwarts, such as the Fiji Law Society, which had condemned Vosarogo’s appointment.
He says the Prime Minister made a decision in direct contravention of a Section 96 (2)(b) of the 2013 Constitution.
According to Usamate, government has been breaking the Constitution in the ways it has been appointing people to positions with non-civil servants as acting permanent secretaries and failed political candidates as board members, weakening key institutions across the country.
Usamate says Rabuka must retract his decision, as he has made a direct assault on the Constitution and on democracy.
FBC News has sent questions to the Prime Minister for a response.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rabuka is expected to announce his decision on the AG’s appointment and other Cabinet decisions tomorrow afternoon.
