Tikoca did not declare the debt he owed to govt - Saneem

Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem has told the Suva Magistrates Court that suspended parliamentarian Ratu Isoa Tikoca did not declare the debt he owed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in his declaration before the 2014 General Elections.

Saneem is FICAC’s second witness in the case where Tikoca is charged with failure to declare his liabilities contrary to section 24 of the Political Parties Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures Decree.

While being examined by FICAC Senior Counsel Rashmi Aslam today, Saneem told the court that on 13th February, 2015 he received communications from the Ministry of Finance stating that Ratu Isoa Tikoca had not declared certain debts which he owed to the government.

Saneem said he then went through Tikoca’s declaration and noticed that his only debt declared was $500 to Palas for a car.

He told the court that he then forwarded the file to FICAC for necessary action.

It is alleged that Tikoca failed to declare the liability and the amount of the liability to the Registrar, the Permanent Secretary responsible for Elections that he had incurred to the Government of Fiji during his tenure as Fiji’s High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea.

The first prosecution witness, Former Director Corporate Affairs for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Kelera Nukutaumaki had told the court yesterday that Tikoca had used $94,526.73 for his son’s education at St Joseph’s College in Brisbane, Australia.