USP Council

A statement from Council released after its meeting yesterday (Tuesday) said it was unable to consider further the matter of the contract of Professor Ahluwalia as the Sub-Committee is yet to present its recommendations to the Council.

The Sub-Committee is chaired by the President of Nauru, Lionel Aingimea  and includes the Council Representatives of Australia, Tonga, Niue, Solomon Islands, Samoa and two Senate Representatives.

A special council meeting has been convened and is chaired by USP Chancellor and Nauru President Lionel Aingimea.

The FBC reported Fiji's Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Education Minister Rosy Akbar attended the online meeting.

President Aingimea called the meeting last month.

A week later, Sayed-Khaiyum announced Fiji was suspending its grants of more than $US10 million to the university.

This follows legal advice that it “would not be in breach of the Charter and the Statutes for His Excellency the President of Nauru to continue in his capacity as a member of the Council and to chair the continuation of the meeting on Friday (3 July).”

The second council meeting on Friday resolved that the report from international accounting and auditing firm BDO be released to council members only and endorsed the proposal by Tuvalu in regards to the ordinance to govern the discipline of the Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Pal Ahluwalia.

Last week, the governing council held an emergency meeting to look into the suspension of the Vice Chancellor by the executive committee.

The council found due process had not been followed and reinstated Pal Ahluwalia.

Incoming Chancellor and Nauru President Lionel Aingimea was instrumental in Professor Ahluwalia's reinstatement.

Mr Aingimea said the council would reconvene with last Friday's not closed.

He said the meeting had simply been recessed until the next one which was yet to be scheduled.

 A statement said the Council was not persuaded that due process was followed by the Executive committee in the suspension of Professor Ahluwalia.

The Council has also directed that the process as prescribed in An Ordinance to Govern the Discipline of the Vice-Chancellor be followed in investigating any allegations against the Vice-Chancellor & President.

Fiji’s Minister for Education Rosy Akbar said the government will support whatever decision is made by the University of the South Pacific council following its special meeting today.