Siromi Turaga
Introduction
Siromi Turaga, Fiji’s Minister for Justice and acting Attorney-General, resigned from Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s Cabinet on October 13, 2026, days after an explicit video appeared on his Facebook profile on the eve of the country’s 56th independence anniversary. Rabuka confirmed he had accepted the resignation of a minister who was one of the government’s most senior legal officeholders, saying Turaga apologised and offered to step down when questioned about the video. Turaga remains a member of Parliament and of the People’s Alliance Party, and no criminal allegation has been reported in connection with the video.
Background Information
Turaga served as Minister for Justice and was performing the duties of Attorney-General in the Rabuka government, which came to power in the December 2022 Fijian election. The justice portfolio placed him at the centre of the government’s programme at the time of his resignation: Parliament was weighing the proposed Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 and preparations for a national referendum on constitutional change, with the Attorney-General’s office supplying much of the government’s legal advice. After his exit, Rabuka said no replacement would be appointed immediately and that the government’s legal advice would come directly from the Solicitor-General’s Office.
The resignation was the second intimate-video controversy to reach a senior minister of the administration: Information Minister Lynda Tabuya’s leaked video in 2024 led to her initial suspension and demotion to the backbench before she was reinstated in 2025. Rabuka had said the same standards of accountability would apply to all ministers.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Resignation after a video posted to his own account; involvement described as alleged, no charge reported. The explicit video appeared on Turaga’s Facebook profile; reporting describes the video as “allegedly linked” to him, the Prime Minister said he had not viewed it and did not press for a detailed explanation, and no criminal allegation has been reported.
The video appeared on Turaga’s Facebook profile on the eve of Fiji’s 56th independence anniversary — reporting places it on the Friday before the Tuesday resignation — while Turaga was in New Zealand. RNZ reported that it surfaced “on Turaga’s Facebook profile,” and the Fiji Times characterised it as an explicit video “allegedly linked” to the minister as it circulated on social media. Whether the posting was deliberate, an accident, or a compromise of his account was not established in the published reporting; unlike a comparable case earlier in the government’s term, no hacked-account claim by Turaga was reported.
Prime Minister Rabuka initially took no immediate disciplinary action, saying he was yet to speak to Turaga, that the allegations remained unverified, and that he would not make any judgment before hearing his minister’s explanation — while noting that suspension could be considered if misconduct were established. That changed the following Tuesday: after Turaga returned and was questioned, Rabuka confirmed to reporters outside Government Buildings, following a post-Cabinet meeting, that he had accepted the resignation. “When I asked him about the video, he straightforwardly came up with an apology and offered to resign from Cabinet,” Rabuka said. He added that he had not pressed for a detailed explanation, “having accepted his apology and resignation.”
Public Reaction and Consequences
The immediate consequence was the loss of both of Turaga’s portfolios — Minister for Justice and acting Attorney-General — from the Cabinet of a government mid-way through its flagship constitutional reform. Rabuka moved to contain the administrative fallout the same day: no immediate replacement, legal advice routed through the Solicitor-General’s Office, and an assurance that Turaga “is still available for that” assistance on the referendum work, since Cabinet contains other legally qualified members though not constitutionally qualified ones for the Attorney-General role.
His resignation kept alive an awkward pattern for the administration, coming two years after Tabuya’s case, and it handed the political opposition a fresh line of attack on the government’s judgment at the exact moment it was campaigning for a constitutional referendum, with a general election due by February 2027. Turaga himself kept his seat: Rabuka confirmed “He is still PAP. He is still a member of Parliament. And he is still involved in the PAP discussions.”
Current Status
Siromi Turaga is out of Cabinet as of October 13, 2026, remains the member of Parliament for his seat and a member of the People’s Alliance Party, and continues to be available to assist the government on constitutional work in a backbench capacity. The Solicitor-General’s Office holds the government’s legal advice function in the interim. No criminal matter arising from the video has been reported, and Turaga has not been charged with anything.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Turaga’s Cabinet career ended after less than four years, at the peak of the legal establishment — acting Attorney-General — with his exit following an intimate-video scandal rather than any policy dispute. The resignation preserved his parliamentary career and party standing, an outcome that contrasts with his colleague Tabuya’s temporary suspension before reinstatement, and leaves him a potential future minister should the party retain power. For the government, the loss of its justice minister and acting chief law officer months before a constitutional referendum forced an improvised legal-advice arrangement through the Solicitor-General.