Daniel Fatiaki
Overview
Chief Justice (Fiji)
The Chief Justice is Fiji's highest judicial officer. He or she is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is required by the Constitution to consult the Leader of the Opposition. This does not give the Leader of the Opposition a veto, only the right to be consulted. ...
of Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
from 1 August 2002, when he succeeded Sir Timoci Tuivaga
Timoci Tuivaga
Sir Timoci Uluiburotu Tuivaga is a Fijian judge, who served as Chief Justice from 1974 to 1 August 2002, when he retired. He was Fiji's first native-born Chief Justice.- Education and career :...
, till 5 December 2008. As Chief Justice, he presided over both the High Court
High Court (Fiji)
The High Court of Fiji is one of three courts established by Chapter 9 of the Constitution of Fiji—the others being the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The Constitution empowers Parliament to create other courts; these are subordinate to the High Court, which is authorized to oversee all...
and the Supreme Court
Supreme Court (Fiji)
The Supreme Court of Fiji is one of three courts established by Chapter 9 of the Constitution, the others being the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court is declared to be "the final appellate court of the State" - in other words, there is no judicial authority higher than the...
, but is constitutionally
Constitution of Fiji
The 1997 Constitution of Fiji was the supreme law of Fiji from its adoption in 1997 until 2009 when President Josefa Iloilo purported to abrogate it. It was also suspended for a period following the 2000 coup d'état led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama....
barred from presiding over, or even sitting on, the Appeal Court
Court of Appeal (Fiji)
The Court of Appeal of Fiji is one of three courts established by Chapter 9 of the Constitution, the others being the High Court and the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeal was a new institution established when the 1997 Constitution came into effect; the other two courts predated it...
.
Quotations
It goes without saying that the most valuable asset of any profession is its collective reputation.
The independence of the (legal) profession also ensures that it can take an objective view on issues concerning not only these matters, but also those of wider public concern. In fact, it can only discharge this responsibility to be independent and objective, if it is perceived by society at large to be independent.