The Fiji Police Force has yet to charge any suspects four months after the alleged murder of the reportedly infamous Jone Vakarisi while he was in military custody.
Vakarisi, 37, who was widely known for being on the wrong side of the law and reportedly linked to criminal networks, 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 after a copy of Vakarisi’s death certificate was leaked online, exposing massive blunt force trauma to his head and chest.
Vakarisi’s sister Melehola Tagaga told Pacific Waves at the time that he begged for his life at the military barracks in Suva before allegedly being “bruatlised to death”.
Several weeks later in May, Kalouniwai admitted that the RFMF was “at fault” for Vakarisi’s death, describing it as an “unintentional” and “regrettable” incident.
However, more than 120 days after Vakarisi’s death, an active murder investigation remains open, while no one has been charged or presented in court.
In late July, the Fiji Sun reported that the case file on Vakarisi’s death was expected to be forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
“Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu confirmed yesterday that investigators were completing interviews with those involved before finalising the file,” the newspaper reported on 21 July.
“I can state that people need to trust the process that we are following. Investigation has been done,” Tudravu was quoted as saying.
Earlier this month, the police commissioner told local reporters that investigators continue to carry out house-to-house inquiries, collect witness statements, and examine forensic evidence as the probe intensifies.
He also called for “patience, understanding, and continued public support” for the joint police and military taskforce.
Local and international human rights groups condemned Vakarisi’s death in military custody, saying it reflected a “culture of impunity” within Fiji’s military forces.
Amnesty International’s Pacific researcher Kate Schuetze said the RFMF’s shifting excuses regarding Vakarisi’s death raised “more questions than answers”.
