Former Secretary-General to Parliament, Viniana Namosimalua says she pulled the former SODELPA MP Simione Rasova during one of the breaks in the February Sitting of Parliament in 2020, for Rasova to verify that his permanent address was indeed Nabouwalu, Ono in Kadavu.
While giving evidence in Court, Namosimalua said she needed to speak to Rasova immediately to address some anomalies found in the Subsistence Allowance and Travel Expenses forms filed by the accused in 2020.
Namosimalua told Parliament’s head of Finance to note the email exchange between her office and the former SODELPA MP as evidence if the matter were to ever come up again.
Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption lawyer Josann Pene asked Namosimalua to verify an email between her and the accused, also the attendance register of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs held in Kadavu and a SODELPA Caucus Meeting held in Kadavu between 11 to 13 February 2020 – Namosimalua confirmed the three documentations.
Namosimalua said an email had come from Rasova that he would return to Suva after the Standing Committee Meeting, due to the fact he was going to attend a SODELPA Caucus Meeting in Kadavu.
Meanwhile, Rasova is charged with one count of providing false information to a public servant, allegedly lying about his residence, and obtaining a financial gain.
He is alleged to have falsely stated that his permanent place of residence was in Nasenivolau, Nabouwalu village, Ono, Kadavu, and obtained $21,350 in parliamentary allowances between July 2019 and April 2020.
The trial continues.
