On May 9, 2024, Frank Bainimarama, Fiji’s former Prime Minister, was sentenced to a year in prison for obstructing a police investigation into corruption.
Bainimarama, who led Fiji for over 15 years until 2022, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice by instructing the then Fijian Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho, to halt a 2020 investigation into financial abuses at the University of the South Pacific. Qiliho received a two-year prison sentence.
Bainimarama is also facing other political abuse allegations after losing the 2022 election.