Press Release

Court delivers guilty verdict against former ILSC secretary

Posted by Media Team 20 January 2026

The Suva Magistrates Court has found Ifrana Nisha, a former secretary of the Independent Legal Services Commission (ILSC), guilty of corruption-related charges.

Resident Magistrate Shageeth Somaratne delivered his judgment today, convicting Ms. Nisha on 7 counts of Falsification of Documents and 2 counts of Obtaining a Financial Advantage.

She was acquitted on one count of Obtaining a Financial Advantage.

The court heard that between July 2012 and November 2014, Ms. Nisha falsified cheques by forging the signatures of former Solicitor General Sharvada Sharma and lawyer Ana Tuiketei.

She listed herself and ILSC Commissioner Paul Madigan as payees to obtain financial gain.

In one instance, Ms. Nisha falsified a cheque for $3,450, naming Ms. Tuiketei as the payee, and instructed an ILSC receptionist, Vandana Raj, to cash the cheque and return the proceeds to her.

Resident Magistrate Somaratne noted that Mr. Sharma, Ms. Tuiketei and Mr. Madigan testified for the prosecution, denying any involvement in or benefit from the cheques.

Bank records confirmed the withdrawals from the ILSC account, while Ms. Raj testified that she cashed the cheques on Ms. Nisha’s instructions and returned the proceeds to her.

The court considered circumstantial evidence, including witness identification of the second signature on the cheques as Ms. Nisha’s, her control over the cheque books, and testimony that she handed the cheques to Ms. Raj fully completed for encashment.

Resident Magistrate Somaratne found that only Ms. Nisha had access to the cheque books, that she had authority to raise the cheques, and that the funds were returned to her, with no benefit received by Mr. Madigan or Ms. Tuiketei.

Ms. Nisha was convicted on the first 9 counts and acquitted on the tenth count.

She has 28 days to appeal.

Sentencing has been adjourned to 13 February 2026.