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Fiji's long-serving former prime minister Frank Bainimarama has been sentenced to a year in prison for barring police investigation into corruption.
Bainimarama, 70, a high profile politician in the Pacific Islands, led Fiji for more than15 years in power until he was voted out in 2022.
On the international stage he was also a leading representative lobbying for climate change action for vulnerable Pacific countries.
He was taken away in handcuffs after the High Court's ruling.
Last month he was convicted of perverting the course of justice during a police investigation into university fraud.
Prosecutors alleged he had told his friend, the former Fijian Police Commissioner, to drop a 2020 investigation into abuses of finances at the University of South Pacific which included alleged bonuses, promotions and pay rises to staff.
Bainimarama pleaded not guilty to the charges but a court found he and the police chief Sitiveni Qiliho had used their power to sideline the investigation at the university, one of the leading tertiary educations in the region.
The country's high court handed both men to prison
Qiliho, who has been suspended from his role, was sentenced to two years in prison.
Outside the court, supporters of Bainimarama who had gathered to hear the verdict sung hymns while governing politicians praised the verdict.
"The court case and sentencing shows... that people who break the law, doesn't matter who they are, they are brought to account," Unity Fiji party leader Savenaca Narube said.
His political party FijiFirst is standing by him.
“Bainimarama will continue to be the leader of the FijiFirst party. Come 2026, we will deal with it,” party senior Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said according to local media reports.
