SUVA, Fiji: Former prime minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama was awarded a one-year jail sentence on Thursday for hindering the course of justice, with a judge finding he had failed to live up to the lofty responsibilities of his office.
Fiji’s High Court in the capital Suva sentenced Bainimarama after he was found guilty of quashing a police inquiry into alleged corruption at a Fijian university while leading the South Pacific nation.
The former military commander took power in a bloodless coup in 2006 and remains a popular figure in the island country.
There was a heavy police presence as supporters gathered outside the court’s hearing.
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Bainimarama’s wife Maria sobbed in the court as acting Chief Justice Salesi Temo announced the sentence.
Bainimarama’s former police chief and top ally Sitiveni Qiliho was also found guilty of abuse of office in the same case. Qiliho was awarded two years imprisonment.
The pair were handcuffed before being escorted out of the court and into a police van.
