The Magistrates Court in Suva will follow through with the ruling of the High Court and enter the conviction of the former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended Commissioner of Police Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho today.
The High Court overturned the ruling of the Magistrates Court and found the duo guilty of the charges of perverting the course of justice and abuse of office, which was presided over by Acting Chief Justice Salesi Temo, last Thursday.
The matter will be called before Resident Magistrate Seini Puamau.
Bainimarama has been found guilty of one count of attempt to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho has been found guilty of one count of abuse of office.
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 of prejudicial to the rights to USP.
