![[Photo: File]](https://www.fijivillage.com/news_images/8478912516449fbb2b57422a0a554b.jpg)
The Fiji Rugby Union is now caught in a major legal situation, and Minister for Justice, Siromi Turaga will now move to protect the assets and operations of the FRU, appoint interim trustees of the FRU to take it to a Special General Meeting and appoint an interim administrator to act on behalf of the interim trustees.
Turaga confirms that as Minister for Justice, he exercised his powers under the Charitable Trusts Act in his meeting with the board of directors of the FRU.
He says the FRU cannot operate as a charitable trust as it is being run by a board using articles of association of the FRU Company.
Turaga says this is illegal for charitable trusts.
Following a meeting with the FRU board of directors, Turaga says those in attendance have acknowledged by consensus to resign voluntarily while absent directors will resign by flying minute.
He says there is no link between the Fiji Rugby Football Union Trust Board (the charitable trust) and the Fiji Rugby Union Pte Limited (the company limited by guarantees) for the governing instrument of one to apply to the other, and vice-versa.
Turaga further says the 2018 constitution being used by the FRU board to make appointments to run its affairs, set the AGM, call for nominations, defend appeals by Suva, Naitasiri and Namosi, and operate thus far is not registered under the Charitable Trust Act, nor at the Registry of Titles, and is therefore illegal.
He says this is due to the fact that it was unsigned and undated by the trustees, unaccompanied by the minutes of the meeting of the AGM or Special General Meeting of the FRU wherein the constitution was adopted, not witnessed, signed and stamped by any Commissioner of Oaths or solicitor, and not endorsed, signed and stamped by the Registrar of Titles at the time it was lodged for registration.
The Minister for Justice says in light of these anomalies, he informed the FRU board that under the laws of Fiji, the FRU will need to regularise and legalise its status as a charitable trust to be consistent with the provisions of the Charitable Trusts Act, until and unless the status of the FRU as a charitable body is regularised, the FRU AGM cannot be convened, unions and members of the FRU will have to be notified of the new AGM date by a new board of trustees in due course and the AGM planned for this Saturday has to be deferred.
Acting FRU Chair, Dan Whippy and Acting CEO, Sale Sorovaki could not be reached for comments.
