Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has confirmed that a temporary appointment has been approved for the Acting Corrections Commissioner, ending weeks of uncertainty over who would lead the Fiji Corrections Service while a tribunal reviews the conduct of the substantive commissioner.

Speaking to The Fiji Times, Mr Rabuka said the matter had already been settled at the Constitutional Offices Commission (COC).

“We have already made a decision, and it has to be executed.

“The COC has agreed on the appointment of the one who’s nominated.”

He said the appointee will hold the role only in an acting capacity while the tribunal continues its work.

“But it’s been made very clear that it’s only temporary and the post will be advertised as soon as the result of the tribunal looking at the affairs of the commissioner is completed, so that all the deputies and assistants will have to be regularised.”

The temporary appointment brings some clarity to the chain of command within the Corrections Service, which has been operating under acting arrangements for several months following the suspension of Dr Jalesi Nakarawa.