Nearly five months after the alleged murder of a man while in military custody, the Fiji Police says it has questioned five “likely suspects”.
In a statement on Thursday, police said it would forward the investigation file on Jone Vakarisi’s death to the public prosecutions office after questioning the remaining three suspects.
“Once all eight suspects have been questioned, the investigation file will be compiled and forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) for independent legal review,” it said.
Vakarisi, 37, was widely known for being on the wrong side of the law and reportedly linked to criminal networks.
He died on 17 April after being taken for questioning by soldiers to the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) headquarters in Suva.
His death was initially attributed to pre-existing conditions by the RFMF commander Ro Jone Kalouniwai, who was later forced to issue a “correction” when police classified Vakarisi’s death as murder.
Fiji Police chief Rusiate Tudravu told the Fiji Sun in July that investigators were completing interviews with those involved before finalising the file.
Tudravu called on the public to “trust the process” in relation to the investigations.
