Acting Deputy Commissioner
With 18 years of experience in the legal profession, Lisiate Fotofili is a seasoned legal advocate with a strong background in prosecution, judicial service, and criminal justice. His extensive career includes 11 years as a prosecutor and seven years as a Resident Magistrate, making him a respected figure in Fiji’s legal landscape.
Fotofili began his legal career in 2007 as a Legal Officer at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). His passion and leadership being recognized saw him promoted to Senior Legal Officer (SLO), then to Principal Legal Officer (PLO) by 2012. Later he was appointed the Manager of the Serious Crimes Division in Suva from 2014 to 2015. He went on to serve as PLO and Manager for the Northern Division until 2018.
Throughout his tenure at ODPP, Fotofili played a key role in vetting legal advices by officers of the ODPP, providing training to staff of ODPP and to police, providing legal advice to the Director of Public Prosecution and prosecuting high-profile cases involving murder, rape, robbery with violence, sedition, maritime law, fraud, human trafficking and forfeiture of asset or proceeds of crime. He also represented and argued on behalf of the State in criminal appeals before the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court of Fiji.
In 2018, he was appointed as a Resident Magistrate by the former President His Excellency Jioji Konrote. As Resident Magistrate, Fotofili was posted to and presided over cases in the towns of Tavua and Rakiraki and their rural courts, and later, was posted to and presided in Nasinu which is the most demanding jurisdiction in Fiji due to the high volume of cases per Resident Magistrate. There were also regular sittings attended to for the Island court circuit involving the islands in the Lau and Lomaiviti province.
Criminal cases make up the bulk of cases in the Magistracy but the appointment to the bench, expanded Fotofili’s experience to dealing with civil cases such as breach of contract and tort and family proceedings such as divorce, disputes regarding the custody of children, adoption, spousal and child maintenance disputes, disputes regarding distribution of matrimonial property and domestic violence applications.
Now serving as Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC), Fotofili aims to bring his experience and leadership to reinvigorate FICAC’s commitment to fight corruption, ensuring transparency, accountability, and to ensure that the rule of law remains at the forefront of Fiji’s justice system.