Former Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has been sentenced to a year in prison for interfering in a criminal investigation. The Acting High Court of Fiji Chief Justice Salesi Temo delivered the sentence in Suva. Bainimarama stopped a police investigation into financial mismanagement allegations at the University of the South Pacific. The 70-year-old leader was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice, while suspended Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho received a 2-year prison sentence for abuse of office. Bainimarama led Fiji for 16 years, first as a military dictator in 2006 and then as a democratically elected prime minister in 2014 and 2018, before being succeeded by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
In 2019, while he was still in power, Bainimarama halted a police investigation into alleged financial mismanagement at the University of the South Pacific. This institution, owned by 12 Pacific Island nations, had reported funding misuse and mismanagement for a decade. The former prime minister and police commissioner were accused of ending an active police investigation into former university staff members, with prosecutors claiming that more charges could be laid as the investigation continued. Despite being acquitted by a lower court judge in October, prosecutors successfully appealed, leading to the conviction of Bainimarama and Qiliho by the High Court, resulting in their prison sentences.
Bainimarama, who did not react to his sentence, was taken into custody by police and transported to a prison outside Suva, where he was held in handcuffs. His wife, Mary Bainimarama, reportedly broke down in tears during the court proceedings. Despite his lawyers indicating plans to appeal, Temo denied their application for bail pending the appeal hearing. Bainimarama’s arrest and imprisonment mark a significant fall from power for the former prime minister, who had held a position of authority in Fiji after seizing power in a coup in 2006 and subsequently being elected as prime minister in democratic processes in 2014 and 2018.
This development in Fiji has raised questions about the country’s political stability and the transition of power from one leader to another. Sitiveni Rabuka, who took over as prime minister after the 2022 election, is another former coup leader, further complicating the political landscape in the Pacific island nation. The conviction and imprisonment of Bainimarama for interfering in a criminal investigation suggest a commitment to upholding the rule of law and holding those in positions of power accountable for their actions. The case highlights the importance of judicial independence and the need for transparency and accountability in governance, particularly in a country with a history of military coups and political instability.
