Joni Madraiwiwi
| Joni Madraiwiwi | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of Nauru | |
|
In office 8 September 2014 – 29 September 2016 |
|
| Preceded by | Geoffrey Eames |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| Vice-President of Fiji | |
|
In office 15 December 2004 – 5 December 2006 |
|
| President | Ratu Josefa Iloilo |
| Preceded by | Jope Seniloli |
| Succeeded by | Vacant (2006–2009) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1957 |
| Died | 29 September 2016 Suva, Fiji |
| Spouse(s) | Adi Lusi Tuivanuavou |
| Alma mater |
University of Adelaide McGill University |
Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, Lord Madraiwiwi Tangatatonga (1957 – 29 September 2016) was a Fijian lawyer, politician and was the Vice-President of Fiji from 2004 to 2006. He was sworn in on 10 January 2005, following his nomination by President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo and his subsequent approval by the Great Council of Chiefs on 15 December 2004. He was appointed to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor, Ratu Jope Seniloli, who had resigned in disgrace on 29 November 2004 in the wake of his convictions for treason concerning his role in the Fiji coup of 2000. Ratu Madraiwiwi's first priority was to restore dignity and respect to the Vice-Presidential office.
Madraiwiwi was dismissed from office on 5 December 2006 by the Military Commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who seized power in a military coup. He was forcibly evicted from his official residence and from his office on the night of 6 December. He announced in the second week of January 2007 that he was "on leave" and intended to resume private practice as a lawyer, at Howards law firm.
Ratu Madraiwiwi has a Law degree from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and a master's degree in Law from McGill University, Canada. After working for the Attorney-General from 1983 to 1991, he went on to serve as a permanent arbitrator until 1997, when he was appointed as a judge of the High Court. He resigned from the bench in 2000 in protest against the coup d'état that saw the elected government toppled, the constitution abrogated, and the judiciary reorganised by decree. Thereafter, he practised law privately as a partner of Howards, besides serving as a director of Fiji Times Limited (the nation's leading newspaper) and as a trustee of the Fijian Trust Fund. He is also a human rights commissioner and former chairman of the Citizens Constitutional Forum, a pro-democracy and human rights organisation. Rewa high chief Ro Jone Mataitini said the chiefs unanimously supported Ratu Madraiwiwi because of his extensive knowledge of the law and because of his great rapport with other racial and religious groups. In this regard, he was regarded as a compromise between those who insisted on reserving the Vice-Presidency for a high chief, and those (including Ratu Epeli Ganilau, the former Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs), who believed it was time for a non-Fijian, to be appointed to the post as a gesture of goodwill to the Indo-Fijian and other minorities.
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