Former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended Commissioner of Police Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho will appear in Court again this morning.
The defence is expected to make their case in Court today.
Earlier this month, the Magistrates Court ruled that there was a case to answer with relevant and admissible evidence to continue the trial for the duo.
Resident-Magistrate Seini Puamau said that the allegation against Bainimarama were objective and ensured that investigations into USP never made their way to the court of law; that by virtue of the former Prime Minister’s position, Bainimarqma was aware what the power his words held.
Puamau said that the suggestion that Bainimarama did not prefer a certain course, could have the tendency for those in the State’s service under him to divert from a ‘particular course’ of action.
She also said that Qiliho abused the authority of his office as Commissioner of Police by intentionally directing two subordinate officers to do an act which he knew was arbitrary and in turn abused the authority, his office held.
Bainimarama is charged with one count of attempt to pervert the course of justice, while Qiliho is charged with a count of abuse of office.
It is alleged that Bainimarama sometime in July 2020 as the Prime Minister directed the Police Commissioner to stop the investigation into a police complaint, in the abuse of the authority of his office, which was an arbitrary act prejudicial to the rights of the University of the South Pacific, which is the complainant.
It is alleged that Qiliho on the 15 July 2020 as the Police Commissioner directed the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department, Serupepeli Neiko and Inspector Reshmi Dass to stop investigations into the police complaint by the USP, in the abuse of the authority of his office, which was arbitrary act of prejudicial to the rights to USP.
The trial continues this morning.
