The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has suspended three officers alleged to have participate in a scam related to the issuance of taxi permits and number plates within the Western Division.
Acting chief executive, Irimaia Rokosawa said they view this matter with utmost seriousness and want to assure the public that the Authority will not tolerate any form of corruption or fraudulent activities within the organisation.
He said preliminary investigations are already underway to delve into the specifics of the alleged fraudulent issuance of taxi permits.
“It is with deep disappointment to acknowledge that three LTA staff members are suspected to have colluded in this illicit operation.”
“The LTA is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, and any breach of this trust is taken very seriously and will not be tolerated.”
Rokosawa said the LTA has promptly reported the matter to the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) to conduct an independent and thorough investigation into the allegations.
“The Authority believes in complete transparency, and the collaboration with FICAC ensures that the investigation is unbiased and impartial.”
“As an immediate measure, the three LTA officers implicated in the alleged scam have been suspended from their duties pending the outcome of the investigation.”
“This is in line with our commitment to maintaining the integrity of the organisation while affording the accused officers due process.”
“The fraudulent issuance of taxi permits has had severe consequences, with approximately 90 taxi permits being illegally obtained through the alleged collusion of these officers.”
“In response, an LTA retrieval team is actively working to recover and confiscate any illegally issued taxi permits and number plates linked to the implicated officers.”
Rokosawa added the Authority understands the gravity of the situation and they are taking swift action to rectify the consequences of this illicit operation.
