Joji Kotobalavu

Joji Kotobalavu is a Fijian civil servant. He was the Chief Executive in the Prime Minister's office, but was dismissed on 7 December 2006 by the military junta which had seized power on 5 December. He received his formal notice of dismissal on 13 December.

Kotobalavu was a career civil servant who once served as Fiji's ambassador to Japan in the late 1970s. He left the Civil Service briefly to head SOPAC (South Pacific Geoscience Commission).

In addition to running the Prime Minister's department, he often acted as a spokesman for his boss, particularly when it came to explaining controversial decisions.

Kotobalavu's outspokenness occasionally caused trouble for him. On 23 September 2005, he was made to apologise to the High Court for making statements defending his boss, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, against allegations of involvement in a Ministry of Agriculture scandal, in which more than F$30 million was allegedly misappropriated. Justice Nazhat Shameem ruled Kotobalavu's comments to be in contempt of court and ordered him to apologise and to refrain from making any further statements until after the trial.

On 22 October 2006, Fiji Live quoted Kotobalavu as denying that he had applied for the position of Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Forum [http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2006/10/22/fijilive2.html] . The Melanesian Spearhead Group had reportedly nominated him for the post, but he denied this.

On 21 February, Kotobalavu announced that he was not going ahead with his previous plans to marry Miriama Vereivalu, who was also employed in the Prime Minister's office. Reacting to his dismissal, Kotobalavu told Fiji Live on 13 December that it would give him more time to study theology.