The Fijian Elections Office [‘FEO’] would like to clarify that DHL does not open any Postal Ballot Envelopes as has been alleged by Ms Lynda Tabuya on her Facebook page.

DHL has provided the following clarifications on the Postal Packages and the claims made by Ms Tabuya:

1. For all shipments that have been sent from Fiji via DHL, to all international postal voters, we have had a DHL personnel that has conducted the security check in the presence of FEO personnel. These shipments/flyers contain the returning pre-printed DHL flyer together with a DHL letter for instructions for arranging pickup of returning envelopes.

2. The Postal Ballot Paper is placed inside the Secret Envelope which is then sealed by the voter and placed inside the Transmission Envelope. This is then placed into the Return Envelope which has the FEO address for delivery in Fiji. The Return Envelope is then placed inside the returning DHL flyer which has a pre-printed airwaybill number. DHL will pickup the flyer and will transport it to the delivery address in Fiji.

3. The international postal voters need to advise DHL that they have the pre-printed DHL flyer containing their Postal Ballot, in which case the flyer will not be opened for security check.

4. For security reasons, a flyer may only be opened if it does not have the DHL pre-printed label. In the event if any flyer is required to be opened by DHL, for security check, it will be done so in the presence of the shipper. The Secret Envelope containing the Postal Ballot itself will never be opened by DHL.

-Ends-