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Fiji’s ex-premier denies abusing power
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Fiji’s former leader Frank Bainimarama was released on bail Friday after pleading innocent to a charge that he abused his power as prime minister by stopping a police investigation.
Bainimarama and the nation’s suspended police commissioner had spent the night in jail after they were arrested Thursday.
“I served as Fiji’s prime minister with integrity and with the best interests of Fijians at heart,” Bainimarama told reporters outside the courtroom, adding that he would fight the charge not only for his legacy but also for democracy.
Last month, Bainimarama, 68, was suspended from parliament for three years for insulting the president, and this week he resigned from parliament in protest.
Bainimarama and Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho each face a single charge of abuse of office.
Prosecutors claim the pair terminated an active police investigation into former staff members of the University of the South Pacific. They said police were continuing their investigation and could lay more charges.
In a statement, Christopher Pryde, the director of public prosecutions, said Bainimarama and Qiliho “arbitrarily and in abuse of the authority of their respective offices, terminated an active police investigation” after a complaint was made with the police by the university in July 2019 in relation to “the activities of former staff members.”
Police said the pair were brought in for questioning Thursday and underwent video recorded interviews before being formally charged.