Fiji's prime minister has revealed his evidence that the Labour Party leader, Mahendra Chaudhry, and Senator Anand Singh attempted to obtain a fee from a 52-million US dollar Indian government loan to restructure the sugar industry.
Radio Fiji quotes Laisenia Qarase as saying that Mr Chaudhry as general secretary of the National Farmers Union expressed interest in acquiring the government's shares in the Fiji Sugar Corporation.
Mr Qarase says Mr Chaudhry wrote a letter to the chairman of the steering committee looking into the sugar restructure, Charles Walker, offering consultancy on the restructure.
The prime minister says there is evidence that Mr Chaudhry and his National Farmers Union were directly linked to what Senator Anand Singh was doing in India.
Mr Qarase says Mr Chaudhry and his union appointed Senator Singh to be their representative and there were attempts to get a fee.
He says Mr Chaudhry also made reference to an overseas company which might be given management and supervisory maintenance contracts.
Mr Qarase says one is therefore led to believe that Mr Chaudhry was directly associated with commercial negotiations in India by Senator Singh.
Mr Qarase says he is prepared to defend the writ filed against him by Mr Chaudhry.
Mr Qarase says in light of the disclosures about Mr Chaudhry's involvement, the Labour leader owes him, as prime minister and the minister responsible for sugar industry reform, an apology.
He says Mr Chaudhry should also apologise to the people of Fiji for attempting to mislead the nation
