Does anyone remember the scandal that rocked Fiji in appx early 1992? I have searched this site and found no reference to it. So, hoping someone here might remember the finer details and whatever happened to the guilty culprits......
My best mate was in the Australian bethel at the time, and on a trip back home to Melbourne he caught up with me and told me most of the details. From memory the entire Fijian branch comittee was removed and df'd. They were supposed to have been smudging the books and adding in phantom publishers to make the country report card look good. If someone could check the old year books or w/t's, I think you will find they went through a stage where they kept having record publisher peaks month after month. I remember those peaks being mentioned in the Australan k/m at the time.
At the time, (not sure if this system is still in place) third world countries like Fiji, were getting monetary grants on a per publisher basis, so by pushing up the publisher figures, more $$$ was coming into the Fijian branch. The comittee members then went out with the excess funds and bought each other brand new luxury cars and fine clothing for them and lovely lady wives.... Local brothers in Suva were "stumbled" by the excessive luxuries that was beiing shown and started to grumble. Things came undone on a zone visit and all got revealed.
The brother sent from Sydney to clean up the mess from a legal viewpoint was best mates with my mate (lots of mates i know) and spilled all over a drink when he returned to Australia. A special pioneer couple I know were sent from Melbourne to serve a c/o in Fiji, I caught up with them when I went to Fiji in 97 and when I asked him about it, he said they dont talk about it anymore. I did tour bethel in Suva and found all the bethelites to be really nice native Fijians, sincere, genuine and not having much material possesions (our tour guide was wearing a coke t-shirt and yes I have the photo!) so the buying of brand new cars would have gone down like Michael Jackson taking the emblems...
So if anyone knows more, do tell.
Mattieu.