Businessman Sanjay Kaba Acquitted in Financial Advantage Case

Businessman Sanjay Kaba has been cleared of a charge of obtaining a financial advantage, following a ruling by the Suva Magistrates Court. The Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption (FICAC) had alleged that Kaba misused information from his directorships at Telecom Fiji Limited and Amalgamated Telecom Holdings between 2017 and 2018.

FICAC claimed Kaba secured a project management contract for his company, Houng Lee-Kaba Jacob Pte Limited, through this alleged insider information. The prosecution asserted that his company subsequently received over $766,000 from Telecom Fiji Limited as a result of this contract.

However, Resident Magistrate Charles Ratakele dismissed the case, upholding a no-case-to-answer application from the defense. The magistrate found that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence for key elements of the offense. Crucially, the court noted there was no proof Kaba used confidential information to influence the bidding process. Furthermore, the expression of interest for the contract was advertised after Kaba had already resigned from both boards. The ruling also highlighted that the contract was awarded through a competitive procurement process, involving multiple evaluations and approvals, and found no direct link between Kaba's alleged actions and his company's financial gain.

Both parties have a 28-day period to lodge an appeal against the court's decision.