The top line: Frank Bainimarama, a long-serving former prime minister of Fiji, has been sentenced to a year in prison for perverting the course of justice.
The bigger picture: Fiji's High Court found Bainimarama guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice while he was prime minister by telling then-police commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho not to investigate allegations of graft at the University of the South Pacific. Qiliho had also been found guilty of abuse of office by the High Court. Bainimarama was initially spared jail in the case during sentencing in April, before being overturned on appeal.
The key quote: "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 $1,500 on 28 March 2024 by the Suva Magistrates Court following which the State had filed an appeal and challenged the discharge for a custodial sentence." — Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
What else to know: A former military chief, Bainimarama came to power in a 2006 coup and later won elections in 2014 and 2018. He narrowly lost power in December 2022 to a coalition of parties led by Fiji's current prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka.
What happens next: Bainimarama's legal team has indicated that it will appeal the one-year sentence, the ABC has reported.
