Daniel Fatiaki

Taniela Daniel Vafo'ou Fatiaki was born in 1954 in Motusa, Rotuma, in the then Colony of Fiji, and studied through the University of the South Pacific's Foundation Programme before earning a law degree from the University of Auckland in 1976. He practiced law in New Zealand from 1977 to 1979 and in Fiji from 1979 to 1984, served as a Commissioner for Oaths in Fiji and chaired the Fiji Law Reform Commission from 1994 to 1995. He served as Chief Justice of Fiji from 1 August 2002, was sent on leave by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces following the 2006 coup and later suspended pending misconduct investigations, formally resigning on 5 December 2008 under a settlement that included a full pension and a payout of 275,000 Fiji dollars. He later served as Chief Justice of Nauru from 29 January 2021 to January 2026 and as a judge of the Supreme Court of Vanuatu.