chip if they are caught for an offence. Fiji 2000–2001 In 2001, in the wake of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état, Foster invested over F$1 million in the New Labour Unity Party, a breakaway group from the Fiji Labour Party (FLP). He became 2001 Fijian general election campaign director for Tupeni Baba, the former deputy prime minister, whom Foster described as the "Nelson Mandela of the South Pacific." Describing himself as a "freedom fighter for Fiji", Foster expressed concern there could be another coup if the FLP leader and former prime minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, who had been deposed in the 2000 coup, returned to office. Laisenia Qarase and his SDL party won government. Cherie Blair controversy 2002 Cheriegate scandal and deportation Foster was investigated by the UK Department of Trade and Industry in 2002 for effectively acting as the managing director of slimming pill business, Renuelle, despite being barred for five years in 2000 from holding company directorships. Former business partners, including ex professional footballer, Paul Walsh, accused Foster of conning them into investing £150,000 in Renuelle. At the time he was fighting deportation to Australia to face fraud charges for a separate weight loss scam. The controversy involving Cherie Blair (sometimes known as "Cheriegate") occurred when it was revealed Foster had assisted the wife of the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, with the purchase of two flats in Bristol at a discount. The transaction came to light after Foster claimed Walsh threatened to expose the link with the Blairs unless he was returned the money he had invested. Walsh denied the blackmail accusation. When the deal became public knowledge, Cherie Blair tried to distance herself from Foster and released a public statement claiming he was not involved with the purchase. The Daily Mail newspaper provided email evidence to the contrary; in one email between Blair and Foster she described him as "a star" and said, "we are on the same wave length, Peter." Blair made a public apology, blaming her "misfortune" on the pressures of running a family and being a mother. Foster told the media Cherie and Tony Blair at one time agreed to be godparents to the yet-to-be born child of Foster and his partner Carole Caplin, who later miscarried. He also said he celebrated Christmas with the Blair family and was a guest at 10 Downing Street on the night of his 40th birthday, however, Blair