News
5-Year Jail Term for Former ILSC Secretary
Posted by Media Team 12 February 2026
A former secretary of the Independent Legal Services Commission (ILSC) has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for cheque fraud totalling over $10,000.
Afrana Nisha received her sentence this morning from Resident Magistrate Shageeth Somaratne in the Suva Magistrates Court.
Ms. Nisha was found guilty last month of 7 counts of Falsification of Documents and 2 counts of Obtaining Financial Advantage.
The court heard that between July 2012 and November 2014, Ms. Nisha forged the signatures of former Solicitor General Sharvada Sharma and lawyer Ana Tuiketei on cheques.
She listed herself and ILSC Commissioner Paul Madigan as payees to obtain financial gain.
In one instance, Ms. Nisha forged a $3,450 cheque, naming Ms. Tuiketei as the payee, and instructed an ILSC receptionist, Vandana Raj, to cash it and return the proceeds to her.
RM Somaratne said the sentence is above the usual tariff for these offences, which is normally 18 months to 3 and a half years’ imprisonment.
The Resident Magistrate said that Ms. Nisha grossly breached the trust reposed in her and dishonestly obtained more than $10,000, the property of the ILSC over the period of 2012 and 2014.
“To conceal your misconduct, you sought to shift the blame onto your receptionist, who was responsible for collecting funds from the bank,” RM Somaratne said.
He said the court wants to emphasise that public officers entrusted with managing public funds must remain aware of the long-term consequences of their decisions and actions.
“It is their duty to safeguard and uphold the interests of ordinary citizens through good governance and robust internal control systems.”
RM Somaratne said that any conduct reflecting dishonesty undermines the integrity of the entire social fabric.
“Public officers must recognise that their authority is vested in the people and that they will ultimately be held accountable for their actions.”
“Therefore, when a public officer is found criminally liable for misconduct in office, an immediate custodial sentence is both necessary, and justified, regardless of any mitigating circumstances, as it serves to denounce the offending conduct and deter others in public service.”
Ms. Nisha will serve 5 years’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of 4 years.
She has 28 days to appeal against the sentence.
