Fiji demands proof of US’ bribes claims

ALLEGATION: An probe by a investigative journalism organization in 2024 said local businessman Zhao Fugang was a key pointman for China’s interests in Fiji

Fiji’s government yesterday demanded that the US hand over evidence showing a Chinese state agency employee living in the country paid bribes on behalf of Beijing.

The US Department of State on Wednesday accused Zhao Fugang (趙福剛), director of the Overseas Chinese Service Center in Suva, of engaging in “significant corruption.”

Fijian national Zhao used his public position to pay bribes aimed at advancing Chinese government, business and criminal interests, the department said.

The FBI’s seal is displayed on a podium at its field office in Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 16 last year.

Photo: AP

The prominent local businessman denied the allegations.

The Fijian government urged Washington to share “credible information or evidence of alleged offences committed in Fiji.”

“While respecting the United States’ sovereign right to make decisions under its own laws and policies, the government emphasises that any allegations of unlawful conduct within Fiji must be addressed through the appropriate Fijian legal and law enforcement processes,” it said in a post on Facebook.

The Yue Lai Hotel, owned by businessman Zhao Fugang, in Suva is pictured on Thursday.

Photo: AFP

“Allegations do not constitute proof of wrongdoing, and any action taken by Fijian authorities must uphold due process, the presumption of innocence and the rule of law,” it added.

An investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in 2024 alleged that Zhao operated as a key pointman for Beijing’s interests in Fiji and was a naturalized citizen of the Pacific nation.

Zhao was suspected by Australian law enforcement to be a top player in a transnational syndicate linked to human trafficking, money laundering and drugs smuggling, it said.

His lawyer, Nikheel Nambiar, said he denied those claims and that allegations of influence-peddling for Beijing were “false and misleading.”

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that while it was not aware of the specifics of his case, “we have always opposed any slander and smear directed at China.”

China has over the past few years sought i to deepen its influence among Pacific Island nations, to the consternation of the US and its ally Australia.