The lead order: Frank Bainimarama, a long-serving former high minister of Fiji, has been sentenced to a 12 months in jail for perverting the process justice.
The larger image: Fiji’s Prime Court docket discovered Bainimarama to blame of making an attempt to pervert the process justice week he used to be high minister by way of telling then-police commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho to not examine allegations of graft on the College of the South Pacific. Qiliho had additionally been discovered to blame of abuse of administrative center by way of the Prime Court docket. Bainimarama used to be first of all released prison within the case all through sentencing in April, ahead of being overturned on enchantment.
The important thing quote: “In sentencing the duo, Magistrate Puamau announced that both their convictions would not be registered. The former PM was granted an absolute discharge while the suspended COMPOL received a conditional discharge with a fine of $1,500 on 28 March 2024 by the Suva Magistrates Court following which the State had filed an appeal and challenged the discharge for a custodial sentence.” — Place of business of the Director of Crowd Prosecutions
What else to understand: A former army , Bainimarama got here to energy in a 2006 coup and nearest gained elections in 2014 and 2018. He narrowly misplaced energy in December 2022 to a coalition of events led by way of Fiji’s flow high minister, Sitiveni Rabuka.
What occurs after: Bainimarama’s criminal group has indicated that it’s going to enchantment the one-year sentence, the ABC has reported.
