2 Mar 2006

Police and immigration officials in Fiji enquire into affairs of man planning to set up a huge bank

9:09 pm on 2 March 2006

The man offering to give 3.5 billion US dollars to set up a bank for indigenous Fijians is now under police and immigration scrutiny.

Radio Legend reports that the home affairs minister, Josefa Vosanibola, has raised serious concern about how foreign national Dr Keith Scott was allowed into Fiji without his knowledge.

Mr Vosanibola says the Immigration Department is now checking on how Dr Scott entered the country and whether he had made his intentions known.

He says police have also been asked to check Dr Scott's background and that of his organization known as the Office of International Treasury Control.

Mr Vosanibola says anyone who comes into the country seeking to invest such a huge sum of money would need clearance from him as the ministers responsible.

The chairman of the Viti Land and Resource Owners Association, Ratu Osea Gavidi, the man who invited Dr Scott to come into the country, says the Fiji government is wasting its money.

Ratu Osea claims the Chinese government has already spent 15-million dollars carrying out a background check on Dr Scott and found nothing.