The Director of Public Prosecutions, Christopher Pryde, has sanctioned charges of abuse of office against the former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and the suspended Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho, following a review of the police evidence docket.
In a statement released by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), Christopher Pryde says the charges relate to a complaint made to police by the University of the South Pacific in July 2019 in relation to the activities of former staff members of the university.
“The former Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama, and the suspended Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho, are alleged to have arbitrarily and in abuse of the authority of their respective offices, terminated an active police investigation,” Pryde said.
He added that the Police have also been requested to undertake further investigations into other matters arising from this case, and more charges may be laid against other suspects in due course.