WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND (AP) – Fiji’s former leader Frank Bainimarama was released on bail yesterday after pleading not guilty to a charge that he abused his power as prime minister by stopping a police investigation.
Both Bainimarama and the nation’s suspended police commissioner spent the night in jail after they were arrested on Thursday.
The development adds another twist to the volatile political situation on the Pacific island nation, where Bainimarama in December lost a tense election to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
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. Prosecutors said police were continuing their investigation and could lay more charges.
In a statement, the director of public prosecutions Christopher Pryde said Bainimarama and Qiliho had “arbitrarily and in abuse of the authority of their respective offices, terminated an active police investigation” after a complaint was laid 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 on Thursday and underwent video recorded interviews before being formally charged.
In announcing the charges, Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Sakeo Raikaci said he also wanted to “clear the air” over claims by the public that the investigation had been prolonged and subject to interference by senior officers.
