Former Post Fiji CEO Dr Anirudha Vasantrao Bansod has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to abusing his office by failing to declare his connection with a key personnel in a company that was ultimately awarded a tender contract to provide e-wallet services two years ago.
Bansod, who also served as Chairman of the Post Fiji tender committee, falsely declared that he had no conflicts of interest with Technobase IT Solutions, despite being well-acquainted with Vaibhav Deshpande of the bidding company.
The court was presented with WhatsApp messages exchanged between Dr Bansod and Deshpande, showing “how insider information of a government enterprise in leading up to the tender process was leaked to Technobase IT Solutions.”
The prosecution argued that Dr Bansod’s actions constituted a severe breach of trust, undermining the integrity of Post Fiji Limited, a government enterprise that had clear policies requiring the declaration of any conflicts of interest.
In determining the sentence, the court acknowledged several mitigating factors: Bansod was a first-time offender, eventually pleaded guilty, and expressed remorse for his actions. However, due to the seriousness of the offence and its implications for public trust and deterrence, Resident Magistrate Yogesh Prasad deemed that the offence warranted a custodial sentence.
Dr. Bansod’s sentence will begin immediately, and he has 28 days to appeal the decision.
Initially, Dr Bansod was also facing an additional charge of obtaining a financial advantage alongside two others Ashish Chand and Dharmend Chand. FICAC entered a Nolle Prosequi (withdrawing the charges) against all three after reassessing the evidence against them.
