Latest news with #FrankBainimarama
RNZ News
08-08-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Fiji's top prosecutor in NZ accused of corruption claims charges are politically motivated
Fiji's suspended chief prosecutor, New Zealander Christopher Pryde Photo: Christopher Pryde Fiji's top prosecutor claims moves to extradite him on corruption charges are designed to intimidate and get rid of him. Christopher Pryde, who is in self-imposed exile in Aotearoa, claims charges brought by the country's anti-corruption agency this week are bogus. He believes the Fijian government wants to stop him prosecuting those maligned in a Commission of Inquiry report into the former head of the agency. On Tuesday, the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) announced it had begun extradition proceedings against the 60-year-old. FICAC'S decision came soon after President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu suspended Pryde's FJ$250,000 (approximately NZ$184,000) salary. "These are heavy-handed tactics that are designed to intimidate me and to prevent me from coming back to Fiji and resuming my duties," Pryde said. He is seeking a judicial review of the President's decision in the High Court in Suva. Pryde has been charged with three counts of corruption by the Suva Magistrate's Court, namely that he allegedly: He has denied any wrongdoing and told Pacific Waves the charges were politically-driven. Neither the New Zealand High Commission in Suva nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Wellington have so far responded to his requests for support, he said. Pryde was hired in 2011 by convicted former prime minister Frank Bainimarama, who seized power in a military coup in 2006. Bainmiarama returned the country to democracy in 2014 with a landslide victory in a general election. Pryde was suspended on full pay for "misbehaviour" in April 2023, after he was seen talking to former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum at a cocktail function in the capital. Sayed-Khaiyum was under police investigation at the time but Pryde maintains he never read his file. In April last year, he was also charged with receiving superannuation payments that had not been approved by the JSC. Pryde's superannuation ceased then his salary and all contractual benefits were "unilaterally" cut off by the Fijian government in July 2024. However, he was exonerated in January, following a week-long investigation by a Tribunal, which recommended he not be removed from his position. Two days after he was cleared, he was hit with fresh charges, similar to those he is facing now. He claims he addressed them at the time. A spokesperson for FICAC declined to comment on Pryde's allegations, saying the matter was "sub judice". The government's director of information Samisoni Pareti echoed her response. "As this matter is before our courts in Fiji, there won't be any official response to the matters Mr Pryde has raised with your organisation," he said. The court adjourned the case until 15 September for an update on the extradition process.
ABC News
06-08-2025
- ABC News
Former Fiji leader faces court over alleged role in policeman sacking
The trial of Fiji's former prime minister Frank Bainimarama over allegations he used his position to get two policemen fired is underway in the capital Suva He's pleaded not guilty to making an unwarranted demand with menace to the then acting police commissioner to terminate two officers in 2021. The police commissioner at the time Sitiveni Qiliho is on trial alongside him charged with abuse of office for sacking the officers. Both men are already serving jail sentences after being found guilty last year of interfering in a police investigation into the University of the South Pacific in 2019.
ABC News
05-08-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Hilda Heine questions Marshall Islands' place in Pacific Islands Forum
On the program today Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine has questioned whether the Micronesian Republic should stay in the Pacific Islands Forum as Solomon Islands considers whether it will restrict attendance of non-members at September's Pacific Islands Forum. The trial of Fiji's former prime minister Frank Bainimarama over allegations he used his position to get two policemen fired gets underway. Nauru approves the first successful applicants to its new citizenship by investment program. High level talks take place in Geneva to produce an international legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. PNG's Censorship Office embarks on a grassroots campaign to stamp discriminatory music out of the industry. And Samoan cricketer Darius Visser, who broke a world record by scoring 39 runs off a single over in a T20, joins the show.
RNZ News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Fiji PM Rabuka will block Bainimarama's comeback, says political commentator
Rabuka and Bainimarama, in January 2018 Photo: Fijian Government/Facebook An Indigenous political commentator believes that Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka will make sure his predecessor Frank Bainimarama cannot contest next year's general election. The convicted former Prime Minister Bainimarama originally seized power in a military coup in 2006 and is appealing his corruption conviction in the Court of Appeal in July. Bainimarama's right-hand man, former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, told RNZ Pacific last week that there is a groundswell of support for the former PM, which would pave the way for him to stand. "People want him back," Sayed-Khaiyum said. However, Canterbury University's distinguished professor Steven Ratuva said Bainimarama faces significant legal barriers. "Rabuka, his arch-rival, will make sure that his conviction is not quashed, plus he is facing two more criminal charges," he said. "Not only that, but the 2013 Constitution disqualified him from contesting an election within eight years of a conviction." Bainimarama was the highest-polling candidate in the 2022 elections, receiving over 29 percent (136,829) of total votes. In response to Sayed-Khaiyum's comments, Rabuka said Bainimarama cannot contest the 2026 election. He told local media that even if Bainimarama's conviction were quashed by the Appeal Court, there are other cases against him in a lower court. "Popularity is not an issue or criterion to stand in elections," he was quoted as saying by FijiLive . "There are more people than [Bainimarama] who cannot stand because of their conviction." When asked if Ratuva thought Bainimarama posed any threat to the ruling People's Alliance Party (PAP), he said: "He might, but the question is, does he have enough political clout and support to make a comeback? "That's a question that has to be tested in the election itself if he is ever able to contest one." He said that while Bainimarama was once very popular in Fiji, his current status is unclear. "People will claim there's a lot of support for him, but that still has to be tested. "There has been a lot of criticism of the current government, and that would have diverted people's preferences away from [the ruling PAP] in the next election. "It is going to be an interesting election in terms of the way in which the votes will go," Ratuva said. "Relaunching his FijiFirst Party, which was deregistered in July last year, would be a big ask for Bainimarama." He said whether that cohesion exists remains to be seen. "It would take a significant amount of energy to bring the party together again. Perhaps under a different guise, a different name, a reinvention. But I think [it] would be a huge struggle," he said. Seven parties have registered to contest the election so far, and a further 15 proposed parties are yet to gain enough support to register, according to the Fijian Elections Office. Ratuva said this will mean the vote is even more fragmented. "When there is controversy around how the government is being run, you're bound to see a lot of parties trying to take advantage and fill the void." "However, many of them will not prove viable. Whoever wins the election will have to form a coalition with two, three, or more smaller parties," he added. Bainimarama was head of Fiji's military in 2006 when he staged the country's fourth coup in 20 years. He deposed the late Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and became Prime Minister in 2007. Bainimarama returned Fiji to democracy with a general election in 2014, when his FijiFirst Party had a landslide victory. However, his administration was accused of being dictatorial due to allegations of bullying, intimidation of opponents, human rights abuses, and suppression of the media. He won the elections for a second time in 2018, but only managed to secure a little over 50 percent of the total votes to lead a majority government. Bainimarama attempted to consolidate his power as the longest-serving Fiji Prime Minister in 2022, while going up against his arch rival, Rabuka, a former military strongman and coup maker himself. However, despite being the largest party in parliament, he failed to secure the majority of seats and a coalition government was needed. The result hinged on kingmaker Viliame Gavoka, then the leader of the Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa). Sodelpa chose to enter into a coalition with Rabuka's PAP and the National Federation Party, ousting Bainimarama and ending his 16-year reign. Bainimarama resigned from parliament in March 2023 after copping a three year suspension for sedition. He was jailed in May last year, alongside the former police chief Sitiveni Qiliho, for perverting the course of justice. However, he was released from prison last November, just six months into his one-year sentence, following a comprehensive review by the Fiji Corrections Service.
RNZ News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Fiji PM will ensure Bainimarama cannot contest
A Fijian political commentator believes the Prime Minister will make sure Frank Bainimarama can't contest next years' General Election.
