# Jale Baba

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**Jale Baba** is a [Fijian](/source/Fiji) businessman and political organizer. A forestry graduate of the [Australian National University](/source/Australian_National_University), he worked for [Fiji Pine Limited](/source/Fiji_Pine_Limited) for more than 20 years, before leaving in 1999 to start his own company. He also served as the general secretary and campaign director of the [Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua](/source/Soqosoqo_Duavata_ni_Lewenivanua) Party (SDL).[1]

On 16 December 2005, Baba was accused by two [Senators](/source/Senate_of_Fiji) of [corruption](/source/Political_corruption).[2] Senator [Ponipate Lesavua](/source/Ponipate_Lesavua) alleged that Baba, along with Laisenia Qarase, Jr. (the son of [Laisenia Qarase](/source/Laisenia_Qarase), Fiji's [Prime Minister](/source/Prime_Minister_of_Fiji)) and Lalesh Shankar (another SDL official), benefited from a [mahogany](/source/Mahogany) harvest at [Sote](/source/Sote) Village in [Tailevu](/source/Tailevu_Province). Baba was subcontracted to [Fiji Hardwood](/source/Fiji_Hardwood) and was operating an illegal circular saw, Lesavua maintained, while Qarase Jr. and Shankar owned a company called Trapper Haulage, which had been granted the contract. Another Senator, [Ratu Dr. Epeli Nailatikau](/source/Epeli_Qaraninamu_Nailatikau), alleged that the [Fiji Development Bank](/source/Fiji_Development_Bank) had lent Baba [F$79,600](/source/Fijian_dollar) for six months, then F$24,000 three months later, to buy the saw. He questioned why Baba should be granted such loans, when the landowners themselves were not.[2] Baba denied the allegations and accused the senators of cowardice for making them under [parliamentary privilege](/source/Parliamentary_privilege).[3]

At the [2006 Fijian general election](/source/2006_Fijian_general_election) he ran in the [Ba](/source/Ba_(Open_Constituency,_Fiji)) [Open Constituency](/source/Open_constituencies) for the SDL, but garnered only 60 votes.[4] On 15 June 2006, Baba announced his resignation from his party post after being declared bankrupt.[5]

In the wake of the [2006 Fijian coup d'état](/source/2006_Fijian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat) that deposed the SDL-led government on 5 December 2006, Baba found himself at the centre of an investigation into alleged shady business dealings and political manoeuvrings. On 26 January 2007 he was taken to [Suva](/source/Suva)'s [Queen Elizabeth Barracks](/source/Queen_Elizabeth_Barracks,_Suva) for interrogation about alleged recent comments against the interim government. He was released the next day.[6] Baba was again detained on 28 January, and under intense grilling by Military officials, admitted to approving the sale a government vehicle belonging to the [Lakeba](/source/Lakeba) Pine Scheme, which he managed then. He made the admission in the presence of the buyer of the vehicle and of a [Fiji Sun](/source/Fiji_Sun) journalist, the *Sun* reported on 29 January. In 2000, he approved the sale of the vehicle to a farmer for F$700. He claimed not to have known at the time that the vehicle was government-owned.[7] He was later charged with larceny over the sale, but was acquitted in October 2013.[8]

Following the military regime's dissolution of the SDL, Baba became a founding member of the [Social Democratic Liberal Party](/source/Social_Democratic_Liberal_Party) (SODELPA).[9] In November 2019 he pleaded guilty of publishing false information in relation to Facebook posts made in the leadup to the [2018 Fijian general election](/source/2018_Fijian_general_election) which undermined confidence in the [Fijian Elections Office](/source/Fijian_Elections_Office).[10] He was convicted and given a suspended prison sentence.[11]

## References

1. ["Fiji SDL party wants military boss to apologise to Fijians"](https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/160921/fiji-sdl-party-wants-military-boss-to-apologise-to-fijians). [RNZ](/source/RNZ). 16 March 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

1. ["Fiji opposition senators allege corruption in mahogany harvest"](https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/159276/fiji-opposition-senators-allege-corruption-in-mahogany-harvest). [RNZ](/source/RNZ). 16 December 2005. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

1. ["Fiji opposition senators accused of cowardice over mahogany corruption claims"](https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/159278/fiji-opposition-senators-accused-of-cowardice-over-mahogany-corruption-claims). [RNZ](/source/RNZ). 16 December 2005. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

1. ["REPUBLIC OF THE FIJI ISLANDS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF 6 MAY 2006"](http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/f/fiji/fiji20065.txt). Psephos. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

1. ["Fiji Deputy Speaker declared bankrupt"](https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/162674/fiji-deputy-speaker-declared-bankrupt). [RNZ](/source/RNZ). 13 June 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

1. ["Army question former SDL director"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070128195033/http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2007/01/26/26fijilive0106.html). *www.fijilive.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.fijilive.com/news/show/news/2007/01/26/26fijilive0106.html) on 28 January 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2022.

1. ["Campaign head for Fiji's SDL party admits selling state vehicle"](https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/167475/campaign-head-for-fiji's-sdl-party-admits-selling-state-vehicle). [RNZ](/source/RNZ). 29 January 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

1. ["Jale Baba walks free"](https://fijisun.com.fj/2013/10/16/jale-baba-walks-free/). Fiji Sun. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

1. ["SDL party dissolved, proposes new name"](https://fijisun.com.fj/2013/01/26/sdl-party-dissolved-proposes-new-name/). Fiji Sun. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

1. ["Jale Baba Pleads Guilty To Making False Statement"](https://fijisun.com.fj/2019/11/23/jale-baba-pleads-guilty-to-making-false-statement/). Fiji Sun. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

1. ["Jale Baba given suspended sentence"](https://www.fijivillage.com/news/Jale-Baba-given-suspended-sentence-4f8r5x). Fiji Village. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jale Baba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jale_Baba) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jale_Baba?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.