The Fijian Indian girlfriend of an Australian hotel executive who was fatally stabbed at a five-star resort in Fiji has been named as a suspect by police almost two years on.
The violent death of Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort assistant manager Jason Rigby, 40, was initially treated as suicide by Fijian police after he was found with a stab wound by Shivani Siwan in his staff apartment in December 2024.
Ms Siwan reportedly told Mr Rigby’s family her boyfriend had taken his own life, but the Gold Coast man’s brother Chris and sister-in-law Jess do not believe Jason committed suicide, and hired a private investigator and a Fijian lawyer.
Fiji Police Force Assistant Commissioner Loraini Seru confirmed in a 60 Minutes interview that is due to air on Sunday night that the death is now being treated as suspicious.
“She is”, Ms Seru responded when asked if Ms Siwan was a suspect.
She also confirmed in the interview that Crowne Plaza executive chef Ian Lovejoy – who is not a suspect and is not accused of any wrongdoing – was in the room with Ms Siwan when Mr Rigby died.
Chris and Jess Rigby told Sunday Mail Jason had no history of depression, and that his death was suspicious from the start.
“It definitely was not suicide,” Chris said.
“Jason had a lot to look forward to. He loved his golf and surfing over there. He had a lot of plans coming up, including a trip to Japan. He was looking to buy real estate in Australia while he was over there.”
They also said they had never been contacted by anyone from the Australian Federal Police or the Fijian police, had been unable to get the results of coronial reports done in Fiji and Queensland, and said there had been apparent delays in the AFP accessing evidence from Jason’s phone.
But Jess said they hoped the new development meant the family would finally learn how Mr Rigby died.
“We’ve been working with our private investigator and our lawyer in Fiji, but I think over time it’s stalled quite a lot and you get quite frustrated with the process. They talk about ‘Fiji time’ and it’s very much a real thing,” Jess said.
“So yeah, I think in terms of where the case is at now, we don’t know all of the facts, but we definitely know a lot more than we did. And I think the public pressure and then just our relentless approach has helped.”
The pair have also launched “justiceforjasonrigby” social media pages, while Jess has appeared on a true crime podcast and plans to release a book on the case.
Header image: Left, Jason Rigby and Shivani Siwan. Right, Jason Rigby (supplied).
