Former Fijian Prime Minister Bainimarama was sentenced to one year in jail

Frank Bainimarama, the former prime minister of Fiji, was sentenced to one year in jail on Thursday for obstructing the legal process. The judge determined that Bainimarama used his political influence to stop a police investigation.

After being convicted guilty this year of stopping a police investigation into claims of corruption at a Fijian institution, Bainimarama was given a sentence at the country’s High Court in the capital Suva.

Following the announcement of the sentence, a group of supporters sang outside the courthouse. Bainimarama was then detained and driven out in a waiting police truck. 

Bainimarama’s wife, Maria, broke down during acting Chief Justice Salesi Temo’s sentencing speech.

In March, a magistrate at a lower court decided that Bainimarama, 70, shouldn’t be sent to prison due to his poor health. In 2022, he had emergency heart surgery.