Three senior police officers yesterday testified that suspended police commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho had directed police stop all investigations into the University of the South Pacific in 2020.
Acting director economic crime Reshmi Dass, who was the investigating officer, said in all her years of service, it was the first time for a police commissioner to ask her directly about a case.
Prior to Ms Dass, former chief of intelligence and investigations Biu Matavou testified that he had briefed the then acting police commissioner Rusiate Tudravu on the USP case before the latter met with the National Security Council in September, 2020.
Later that day he received a call from Mr Tudravu who said former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama had advised Mr Qiliho to stay away from the investigations.
Fiji Police Force manager Major Fraud Assistant Superintended of Police (ASP) Rajesh Kumar also took the stand and said the USP case was closed by former director Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Mesake Waqa on January 4, 2022, after he instructed him to do so.
He said the instructions he gave Mr Waqa in a memo, stemmed from instructions given by former police chief of Investigations and Intelligence ACP Biu Matavou mid-2020, that a verbal directive had been received from Mr Qiliho to stop investigations.
Mr Bainimarama and Mr Qiliho respectively face a count each of attempting to pervert the course of justice and abuse of office.
