There is no truth in the claims being made by the Fiji Labour Party Leader, Mahendra Chaudhry that Fijian passports are being offered to people in return for donations to a particular party.
Fijivillage has investigated this claim made by Chaudhry however there is no evidence that proves his claim.
We have received confirmation that fees for passports are the same.
This is a standard fee.
However there is a postage fee depending on the country the person is in.
Permanent Secretary for Information, Sharon Smith-Johns stresses that the bottom line is there are no extra charges to passports if applying overseas other than postage.
Smith-Johns reiterates that the fee for Fijian passports are the same.
Claims have been made by the FLP that Fijian passports are being offered to people who make a donation of 750 US dollars to a particular political party.
We asked Chaudhry whether he has any proof to back his claim.
Chaudhry said he does not have evidence and has only heard things from some people.
Meanwhile the Director of Immigration, Nemani Vuniwaqa said the idea to take immigration services closer to the people overseas arose when teams from the Elections Office travelled to Australia to register Fijians for the September general election.
Vuniwaqa said many Fijians who wanted to exercise their vote had passports which had expired and were barred from being able to register.
Vuniwaqa reveals that these people who live in the western suburbs of Sydney often find it difficult to travel to North Sydney, where the Fijian Consulate is, because of work and family commitments.
The Immigration Director said it is disappointing that some politicians in Fiji have turned the mission into a political football.
Vuniwaqa said this is not a waste of resources and this is about giving people what they need to take part in the political process in Fiji.
