The High Court today dismissed claims by the Auditor General against the Reserve Bank of Fiji for Declarations that the Auditor General is legally required to audit the accounts of the Reserve Bank, and that the Bank is legally required to allow the Auditor General to have access for audit purposes to the records and accounts of the Bank.

The Auditor General Eroni Vatuloka had claimed that he was required to audit the accounts of the Reserve Bank for the year ending 31st December 2007 despite the fact that the accounts had been audited by another external Auditor appointed by the Board of the Reserve Bank, with the Interim Finance Minister's approval.

Vatuloka had also demanded the right to insist upon auditing the accounts of the Reserve Bank in future.

However, High Court Judge, Justice Thomas Hickie in his judgement today, while dismissing the Auditor General's application, said that the Reserve Bank can engage external auditors to audit their accounts until a return to democracy.

However, he stressed that the Bank should provide the Auditor General a copy of each audit if they appoint outside auditors, for the Auditor General to review those audits and report the results of a review to the relevant Minister.