As the Fiji Police continue to liaise with foreign agencies to make a breakthrough in the investigations relating to the stolen Fijian $20 notes amounting to $1 million, there is confirmation today that a bank in Australia had the notes in its possession a few weeks ago.

The Reserve Bank of Fiji has already stated that they are awaiting the Police investigations and that the stolen $20 notes are legal tender, but an Australian woman said she faced some difficulties when she arrived with the notes last month.

Toowoomba resident Jamila Verdouw said she was expecting to spend her Fiji vacation relaxing on the beach, not explaining to police how money stolen in a recent million dollar heist ended up in her pocket.

She told the Chronicle that the truth is, she had no idea how it got there either.

Verdouw's heart skipped a beat when she arrived at the airport in Fiji only to be told the ten $20 Fijian notes she withdrew from a Toowoomba bank were the same ones stolen in heist.

How the stolen money ever made it to the Toowoomba branch of an Australian bank and into Verdouw's hands is still a mystery.

She said who would have thought that money stolen from Fiji would ever make its way to Toowoomba somehow.

Verdouw said it wasn't just one note either.

All the $20 notes she withdrew in Toowoomba were from the stolen shipment.

After two hours of police questioning, a startled Verdouw was allowed to start her vacation, with half her spending money confiscated.

She said she is lucky that she had the bank paperwork with her and that she did not try to spend the money somewhere in Fiji.
 
Verdouw also said while it was a scary start, she ended up having an amazing vacation in Fiji and the bank thankfully reimbursed all her confiscated money.


Story by: Vijay Narayan