Ex-Fiji PM Bainimarama detained on fresh charges
Published on: Tuesday, February 13, 2024
By: AFP
The latest allegations against Frank Bainimarama come after he was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice last October. (Reuters pic)
SUVA: Former prime minister Frank Bainimarama was hit with fresh abuse-of-office charges today and was to spend the night in custody ahead of a scheduled court appearance.
The 69-year-old seized power in a bloodless coup in 2006 and led the Pacific archipelago nation until he was voted out in December 2022.
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He was newly charged over the unlawful firing of two police officers in 2021, the latest in a string of legal woes related to his time in office.
The former naval commodore “will be kept in custody at the Totogo police station tonight, and will be produced at the Suva Magistrates Court tomorrow”, said senior police officer Mesake Waqa.
Former police commissioner and Bainimarama ally Sitiveni Qiliho was also charged. No further details were immediately available.
Just last week, Bainimarama was released on bail after spending a night in jail on a separate abuse-of-office charge.
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The latest allegations against him come after he was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice in a third case last October.
Bainimarama had been accused of using his political clout to shut down sensitive police investigations or sideline officers unwilling to meet his demands.
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Former attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and former health minister Neil Sharma have also faced charg
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