Fiji’s ex-leader, Frank Bainimarama, sentenced to prison for interfering in police investigation

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Former Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has been sentenced to a year in prison for interfering in a criminal investigation while leading the government of his South Pacific island nation. The Fiji Times newspaper reported Bainimarama was sentenced Thursday and the suspended police commissioner received a two-year prison sentence for abuse of office. Bainimarama took power as a military dictator following a 2006 coup and was democratically elected in 2014 and 2018. His successor after the 2022 election promised change. They were accused of ended an investigation into former staff members at the University of the South Pacific over allegations of financial mismanagement. The university is owned by 12 Pacific Island nations and its main campus is in Suva.