Former Water Authority Engineer Jailed for Bribery

A former senior engineer at the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) has been sentenced to prison for accepting a bribe while serving as a public officer.

Mohammed Shafraaz Ali was convicted of one count of bribery and sentenced by Resident Magistrate Jeremaia Savou in the Suva Magistrates Court on Friday, 21 March 2025.

The court heard that between 1 March and 30 June 2017, while employed as WAF’s Regional Engineer Bulk, Ali accepted a Fiji Airways return ticket to Sydney, Australia, worth $1,430.60.

The ticket was paid for by Sphynx Solutions Pte Limited in return for Ali performing official duties that benefited the company.

During this period, Ali requested the supply of various equipment, including repair clamps, valves, Viking joints, and rubber expansion joints, for several WAF sites.

These requests resulted in purchase orders being raised by Sphynx Solutions and the subsequent supply of the items to WAF.

Magistrate Savou sentenced Ali to 18 months in prison, with a non-parole period of 12 months. He also imposed a fine of $3,000.

Failure to pay the fine by the review date of 20 June 2025 will result in an additional 300 days of imprisonment.

Ali has been given 28 days to appeal his conviction and sentence.

The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) was represented by State Counsel Lanieta More and Junior State Counsel Immanuel Turaga.