Fiji’s former Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama was sentenced to one year in jail by the High Court in Suva on Thursday.

He was found guilty of one count of attempt to pervert the course of justice in the University of the South Pacific case while suspended Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho was sentenced to two years imprisonment for the charge of abuse of office.

According to local media reports, a large crowd gathered at the courthouse in Suva and tears were shed as Acting Chief Justice Salesi Temo gave his ruling. Both Bainimarama and Qiliho were escorted out in handcuffs to be taken to prison.

The conviction relates to Bainimarama's role in influencing a police investigation into funding at the region's biggest university, the University of the South Pacific, in 2019.

Justice Salesi Temo in his ruling said there was a breach of trust and at the material time, Bainimarama was the Prime Minister.

He highlighted that Bainimarama's mitigating factors were his medical condition and character reference by two former Presidents.

Commissioner of Corrections was ordered by the court to have a medical plan for the use of Bainimarama’s medical equipment and to charge his phone for his pacemaker app.

Justice Temo told Qiliho that there was a breach of public trust as he was the Police Commissioner at the material time.

This matter was initially heard in the Magistrates Court when the two appeared Magistrate Seini Puamau.

Both were convicted, however, Bainimarama was discharged with conviction and Qiliho fines FJ$1,500.

Justice Temo then overturned this decision as he had previously instructed Magistrate Puamau to re-look at her sentence.

He said that by ignoring the fact that Bainimarama and Qiliho were convicted, the Magistrates Court had acted on the wrong principle for the orders of the High Court.

He sais Magistrate Seini Puamau re-examined irrelevant matters in her sentencing of Bainimarama and Qiliho. He said she was obliged to view and sentence based on the facts given by the High Court which is a superior court.

Everyone except Bainimarama, Qiliho and their families were ordered to leave the courtroom. There was a heightened sense of security outside the Suva High Court for the sentencing.

Only family members, lawyers, the media and some embassy representatives were allowed into the courtroom.

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.

For Qiliho's charges, the charges stated that Qiliho on 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.

Bainimarama rose to power in 2006 after a coup. He was the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and soon took over as interim Prime Minister. Qiliho was an officer in the military as well.

In 2014, Bainimarama was elected as Fiji’s Prime Minister in the first election since the 2006 coup. He was re-elected in 2018 but lost out in last election.