23 Jun 2005

Fiji lobbyist arrested in New York

8:21 am on 23 June 2005

A former Fiji business lobbyist, Elenoa Sikivou, has been arrested in New York for grand larceny.

Elenoa Sikivou, who was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1999 Fiji general election, is reported to have been found guilty by a grand jury of criminal possession of a forged instrument.

When another grand jury convenes next month, she will face further charges of second and third degree grand larceny.

Elenoa Sikivou is reported to have run up a bill of 20-thousand US dollars at a New York hotel using an unauthorised credit card and used the hotel as a base for her phony investment company through which she ran scams.

She faces a maximum of 15 years in jail if found guilty on all charges.