Former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended Commissioner of Police Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho’s fate will be decided today by the Magistrates Court in Suva.
Defence Counsel Devanesh Sharma has asked for a non-custodial sentence and the option to be handed suspended sentences for both Bainimarama and Qiliho while State lawyer Losalini Tabuakoro has asked that Bainimarama and Qiliho should be imprisoned for 36 months and six to 10 years respectively.
For the accused one, attempt to pervert the course of justice charge has a maximum tariff of five years while the second accused person’s charge of abuse of office carries a maximum tariff of 10 years.
According to the charges, 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.
Qiliho on the 15th of 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 an arbitrary act prejudicial to the rights of USP.
Both Bainimarama and Qiliho are expected in Court at 11am for sentencing.
