No natural justice in Fiji police probe - Brown
The former assistant commissioner of police in Fiji, Henry Brown, says the internal inquiry into unspecified allegations against him is being conducted contrary to principles of good governance.
Transcript
The former assistant commissioner of police in Fiji, Henry Brown, says the internal inquiry into unspecified allegations against him is being conducted contrary to principles of good governance.
Mr Brown tendered his resignation this week after being sent on leave in December.
Mr Brown could not be contacted for comment and the Fiji police are not speaking to the media about this matter.
Our reporter Ben Robinson has been following this story and joins us now.
MARY BAINES: Ben, It's not yet clear what Henry Brown is being investigated for. Can you speculate as to what the allegations against him may be?
BEN ROBINSON: Given the secrecy surrounding the investigation and the bizarre step of sending Mr Brown on leave rather than suspending him as the Fiji police act suggests should happen in such a situation, I can only guess that Mr Brown may have done something that made the government in Fiji uncomfortable.
MB: Does it seem strange to you that the man leading the taskforce investigating Mr Brown is himself facing criminal charges?
BR: I think that would seem strange to anyone and brings into question the legitimacy of the taskforce and any findings it makes.
MB: Mr Brown implies that the taskforce could be intimidating witnesses by repeatedly examining them. Do you think that is a fair assumption?
BR: On the face of it no, it is perhaps not unusual for police to reinterview witnesses. However Mr Brown claims to have a source within the taskforce, so its possible that witnesses are coming under duress.
MB: Mr Brown alleges that the police are liasing with a government minister about the investigation. Does that strike you as odd?
BR: It does when the police in fiji have described the inquiry as an internal investigation, and if this allegation is true it could perhaps open the door to political interference.
MB: Mr Brown also alleges that Military Intelligence officers are visiting the Taskforce office every day. Does that surprise you?
BR: It does although this is Fiji, where the power of the military often exceeds what I would consider reasonable. Military intervention in a police inquiry could jeopordise the legitimacy of its findings, especially if the officers involved, are as Mr Brown suggests, military personel who he investigated for in 2013 following a beating that appeared on the website You Tube.
MB: Earlier this week the Fijian president said "only when there is collaboration between the police and the military can Fiji move towards a brighter future." Should there not be a separation of those two powers?
BR: I think this is the crux of the problems with the inquiry into Mr Brown's wrongdoing that Mr Brown is alleging in his letter. Mr Brown is reported to have left Fiji. He says he's resigned under duress and that he has no faith in the inquiry to deliver what he calls natural justice.
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