Bainimarama and Qiliho found guilty, and to be sentenced on March 28th

Former Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended Police Commissioner, Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho have been found guilty by Acting Chief Justice Salesi Temo, and they will be sentenced by Magistrate Seini Puamau on the 28th of March. The matter will be called on Monday for entering of their conviction, and the sentencing and mitigation submissions will be made next Wednesday.

Bainimarama has been found guilty of one count of attempt to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho has been found guilty of one count of abuse of office.

They were earlier found not guilty by Magistrate Puamau.

According to the charges, Bainimarama sometime in July 2020 as the Prime Minister directed the Police Commissioner to stop the investigation into a police complaint, in the abuse of the authority of his office, which was an arbitrary act prejudicial to the rights of the University of the South Pacific which is the complainant.

For Qiliho’s charges, the charges say that Qiliho on the 15th of July, 2020 as the Police Commissioner directed the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department, Serupepeli Neiko and Inspector Reshmi Dass to stop investigations into the police complaint by the USP, in the abuse of the authority of his office, which was an arbitrary act of prejudicial to the rights to USP.

Justice Temo today said that he accepts that the State witnesses had proven their case beyond reasonable doubt and Magistrate Seini Puamau erred in law.

The Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, John Rabuku had filed an appeal against the acquittal of Bainimarama and Qiliho.