Former Fiji PM, police boss guilty of corruption

FORMER Fiji prime minister Frank Bainimarama and suspended police commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho are now awaiting sentencing after being convicted of corruption.
Acting Chief Justice Salesi Temo overturned Magistrate Seini Puamau’s decision in October last year to acquit the two men, and convicted them in the High Court in Suva yesterday.
Bainimarama was charged with one count of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Qiliho was charged with one count of abuse of office.
Last October, Magistrate Puamau found Bainimarama, who forcefully took over the government from then prime minister Laisenia Qarase in 2006, and the suspended police commissioner, not guilty and acquitted them accordingly.
The State Prosecutor then filed eight grounds of appeal which mainly centred on the opinion that Magistrate Puamau had “erred in law and in fact, on several evidentiary and procedural issues, thereby resulting in an unfair trial and an erroneous verdict”.
Acting CJ Temo agreed that the magistrate had erred in fact and in law, and overturned the magistrate’s
decision.
Justice Temo also ordered that the matter be brought back before Magistrate Puamau on March 18 at the Suva Magistrate Court for her to abide by the High Court decision, and pronounce both the respondents guilty as charged, and convict them accordingly.
Justice Temo ordered both the men and the State to file their mitigation and sentencing submissions by March 20, after which Magistrate Puamau would conduct a sentence hearing on March 21, followed by the sentencing on March 28.
Bainimarama and his First Fiji Party lost the December 2022 General Election to now Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s People’s Alliance Party.
Rabuka formed a coalition government with the National Federation Party and Social Democratic Liberal Party.
It is understood that Bainimarama and Qiliho still have other cases pending against them.