Chaudhry questions role of couriers in Fiji poll

The Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry has questioned the role of couriers in the country's first election in eight years.

This comes after an incident reported yesterday on the first day of pre-polling involving an elderly couple who had been delivered their postal voting ballot papers by the courier company DHL.

They claim the courier who brought their papers attempted to force them to vote for the Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama against their wishes.

The matter has been referred to Fiji's Independent Commission Against Corruption.

However Mr Chaudhry says postal votes are supposed to be sent out by post.

"But now it's being couriered to them and then strangely enough the courier company employee is telling them they have to do it (voting) there and then, then give it back to them, instead of leaving it with them and letting them send it by post or other means to the returning officer. For the courier company employee to be marking the ballot paper himself, that's an offence clearly."

DHL Fiji has declined to comment.