FORMER Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has managed to avoid prison, despite being found guilty of perverting the course of justice while leading the South Pacific island nation.
Earlier this month, Bainimarama was found guilty of stopping 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, judge Seini Puamau said the former military commander turned elected leader would avoid time behind bars, citing his medical history.
Puamau said the offense was more minor, and there was no sign Bainimarama acted for personal or financial gain.
Bainimarama was found guilty of perverting the course of justice by ordering police to stop investigations into a series of allegedly suspicious bonus payments, promotions and salary increases at the university.
Police chief Bainimarama and his ally, Sitiveni Qiliho, were found guilty of abuse of office in this case.
Also read: Former Thai PM, Thaksin Shinawatra, appears for the first time since his release
The court heard Qiliho will also avoid prison, but will be asked to pay a fine of US$1,500 within 30 days.
Bainimarama, who is 69 and a former navy commodore, seized power in a bloodless coup in 2006, leading the Pacific island until he was not re-elected in December 2022.
The former leader’s legal problems have increased since he was replaced by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
Also read: Next week, Thaksin Shinawatra can breathe fresh air
In February 2023, parliament suspended him until 2026 after a speech in which he criticized Rabuka.
A year later, he faced two separate charges of abuse of office.
One charge relates to the illegal dismissal of two police officers in 2021.
The other relates to his exclusion from the tender process “without a valid reason” when he was finance minister in 2011. (AFP/Z-3)
#Fiji #Frank #Bainimarama #Avoids #Prison #Sentence