THE Commissioner of Police will have the powers to issue stop departure notices, states the draft Police Bill 2020 that is now up for public scrutiny.
The Ministry of Defence and National Security is now seeking public submissions on the draft Bill before it is endorsed by Cabinet and sent to Parliament.
The draft law states the Police Commissioner can write to the Director Immigration, requesting that any person who is reasonably suspected of having committed an offence be placed on a stop departure order and be stopped from departing Fiji.
“The director shall issue a stop departure order in respect of the person specified by the commissioner without delay. Any person detained under subsection (c) by any immigration officer must be promptly handed over to any police officer to be dealt with according to law.”
The draft Bill also states any person who had knowledge there was a stop departure order against a person and allows that person to depart Fiji commits an offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding $5000 or imprisonment not exceeding five years.
“The minister, on the recommendation of the commissioner, shall prescribe the rules and process to be followed in such circumstances with strict regard to the constitutional rights of the person so detained or prevented from leaving Fiji.”
