The Fiji Labour Party has condemned the appointment of former RFMF officer Colonel Filipo Tarakinikini as Fiji’s Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Labour Leader, Mahendra Chaudhry is urging Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to reconsider the appointment.
Chaudhry says Tarakinikini escaped being brought to justice when former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase facilitated his appointment as Senior Planning Officer with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York in March 2001.
The FLP Leader says former Army Commander and Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama had made it clear that Tarakinikini would be arrested on his return to Fiji.
Chaudhry says the RFMF Board of Inquiry Report set up in August 2000 to investigate the Army’s involvement in the coup questions a number of Tarakinikini’s alleged actions at the time of the crisis, including an alleged call he made to the Army camp at 2.30am on 19th May wanting to speak to a CRW soldier closely linked to the takeover later that morning.
Chaudhry says Tarakinikini’s appointment should be rescinded and he should be brought back to Fiji to answer to the allegations.
The FLP Leader says the appointment is also irregular and in breach of the establishment rules in the civil service in that a person cannot be recruited to an acting position from outside the service.
We have sent questions to the Prime Minister’s Office. He is yet to respond.
