Minister Singh: Investigate people who ‘looted FSC’

The Sugar Ministry is trying to find out who set the jaw-dropping salaries of the CEOs of the beleaguered Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC).

Sugar Minister Charan Jeath Singh made this comment amid revelation of the remuneration packages of three former CEOs and four senior staff of the FSC.

He said the Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption (FICAC) should investigate and take to task the people who “looted FSC”.

“That case has been filed with FICAC for the last three years,” Mr Singh said.

“And we were assured that the investigation was going on.

“What is the result? We don’t know.

“So now I’d like to go back to FICAC and ask them that they should put all their mind and thoughts together.

“I’m not saying that they should prosecute just willy-nilly.

“There are allegations, there are evidence there and if they’re sitting on the file, I think the current FICAC director or CEO should go ahead and get some findings done.

“Some people who did some small things in this country, they were taken to task and jailed.

“So my suggestion to FICAC is this, quickly do the findings and take people to task, especially people who have looted FSC in the previous years.”

He said previous board members should also be investigated.

“Of course, I know there would have been a board approval. The current board wasn’t there. It was previous boards that may have basically approved it.

“Abdul Khan was the CEO for five years. So he was on that salary for five years.

“In that, I’ve been told that he was being given a house in Denarau at a rental of $10,000 a month.”

Questions sent to FICAC yesterday remained unanswered when this edition went to press.