Fiji ex-PM avoids jail for obstructing justice
SYDNEY, Australia: Fiji’s ex-prime minister Frank Bainimarama avoided jail time on Thursday despite being found guilty of obstruction of justice while leading the South Pacific island nation.
Earlier this month, Bainimarama was found guilty of quashing a police investigation into alleged corruption at Fiji’s University of the South Pacific in July 2020, when he was prime minister.
At a sentencing hearing in Suva on Thursday, magistrate Seini Puamau said the former military commander-turned-elected leader would avoid time behind bars, citing his medical history.
Puamau said the offense had been a less severe one, and there was no suggestion Bainimarama had acted for personal or financial gain.
Bainimarama had been found guilty of perverting the course of justice in ordering police to halt an investigation into a web of reportedly suspicious bonus payments, promotions and pay rises within the university.
Bainimarama’s police chief and top ally Sitiveni Qiliho was found guilty of abuse of office in the case.
The court heard on Thursday that Qiliho would also avoid time behind bars, but would be required to pay a fine of $1,500 within 30 days.
Bainimarama, a 69-year-old former naval commodore, seized power in a bloodless coup in 2006, leading the Pacific archipelago until he was voted out in December 2022.
The former leader’s legal woes have mounted since he was succeeded by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
In February 2023, parliament suspended him until 2026 after a speech in which he criticized Rabuka.
A year later, he was hit with two separate abuse-of-office charges.
One count related to the allegedly unlawful firing of two police officers in 2021.
The other was over his alleged waiving of a tender bid “without lawful justification” when he was finance minister in 2011.