FORMER Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has been found guilty of corruption charges.
Justice Thushara Rajasinghe ruled that Bainimarama made an unwarranted demand with menace when he directed then Acting Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu to terminate Sergeant Penieli Ratei and Constable Tomasi Naulu.
Meanwhile, former Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho was acquitted of two counts of abuse of office.
According to the judgment, between May and August 2021 Bainimarama threatened that Tudravu would have to resign if he failed to dismiss the officers and this amounted to a demand with menace under the law.
Bainimarama will be sentenced on a date determined by the court.
Rajasinghe found there was insufficient evidence to prove that Qiliho was guilty of abuse of office by allegedly reviewing and overturning a disciplinary decision by Tudravu.
This is Bainimarama’s second conviction on corruption charges. Last year he was jailed for 12 months for obstructing a police investigation into corruption.
Bainimarama and Qiliho were found guilty of using their powers to quash investigations into the abuse of finances at the university of the South Pacific and were jailed for one year and two years respectively.