Acting Chief Justice Salesi Temo has sentenced former Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama to one year imprisonment while suspended Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho received a two-year prison sentence.
Mr Bainimarama was found guilty of one count of attempt to pervert the course of justice in the University of the South Pacific case while Mr Qiliho was found guilty of one count of abuse of office.
Justice Temo also quashed the sentencing earlier handed down by Magistrate Seini Puamau.
The former PM and the suspended COMPOL were found not guilty and acquitted accordingly by Magistrate Puamau at the Suva Magistrates Court on October 12, 2023.
The State had filed an appeal against their acquittal where Justice Temo then overturned the Magistrate Puamau’s decision and found the two guilty as charged.
The matter was then sent back to the Magistrates’ Court for sentencing.
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 $1500 on March 28, 2024 by the Suva Magistrates Court following which the State had filed an appeal and challenged the discharge for a custodial sentence.
More on the sentencing details in tomorrow’s edition of The Fiji Times.
