Press Release

Court Finds Father and Son Have A Case To Answer

Posted by Media Team 26 January 2026

The Lautoka Magistrates Court has ruled that a father and son charged with corruption-related offences have a case to answer.

Resident Magistrate Timoci Qaliniuci delivered the ruling on 26 January 2026, finding that the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) had established a prima facie case against the first accused, Ronald Narayan, on four counts of Abuse of Office and one count of Obtaining a Financial Advantage.

The second accused and father of the first accused, Sat Narayan, was also found to have a case to answer on one count of Obtaining a Financial Advantage.

It is alleged that between 1 September 2016 and 31 October 2017, while employed as an Executive Officer with the Ministry of Health, Ronald Narayan caused ministry tenders for works at Nukuilau Nursing Station, Bukuya Nursing Station, Ba Mission Hospital and Raiwaqa Health Centre to be awarded to Brink Home Builders, a company owned by his father, and obtained a financial advantage of $101,041.12.

In delivering his ruling, RM Qaliniuci said the prosecution’s evidence showed that Ronald Narayan issued requests for quotations, participated in tender evaluations for some of the projects, and failed to declare his interest in Brink Home Builders.

The court also heard that payments totalling $101,041.12 were made to the company and that Ronald Narayan purchased materials on its behalf.

The Magistrate stated that at the no case to answer stage, the court is required to assess the evidence objectively without considering witness credibility or the weight of evidence. He said the evidence presented, taken at its highest, touched on the essential elements of all charges.

The accused were advised of their options under section 179 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2009.

The matter has been adjourned to 9 February 2026 for mention and a date for the defence’s case has been set for 13 February 2026.