Bainimarama and Qiliho to know their fate this afternoon

Former Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho will know their fate this afternoon when Magistrate Seini Puamau delivers her judgement in their case.

Bainimarama is charged with a count of attempt to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho is charged with a count of abuse of office.

The DPP had alleged that during a National Security Council meeting, Bainimarama had told former Acting Commissioner of Police, Rusiate Tudravu that he suggested to 'Tuks' to stay away from the investigation into the University of the South Pacific.

They had established that Tuks was short for ‘Tukaituraga’ - Qiliho’s middle name.

They allege that Qiliho during a phone call with former Director CID Serupepeli Neiko and Investigating Officer Reshmi Dass had instructed them to close and file away investigations.

Bainimarama has maintained that he never told Qiliho to stop the investigation into the University of the South Pacific while Qiliho had said that he did not direct police officers to close investigations.

According to their charge sheet, it is alleged that 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.

It is alleged 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 arbitrary act of prejudicial to the rights to USP.

Bainimarama and Qiliho are represented by R Patel Lawyers Devanesh Sharma and Gul Fatima while Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, late Ratu David Toganivalu was representing the State with co-counsel Nimisha Shankar.