Fiji’s former leader Frank Bainimarama released on bail

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Fiji’s former leader Frank Bainimarama has been released on bail after pleading not guilty to abusing his power as prime minister by stopping a police investigation. Both Bainimarama and the nation’s suspended police commissioner had spent the night in jail after they were arrested Thursday. The development adds another twist to the volatile political situation on the Pacific nation, where Bainimarama in December lost a tense election to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. Last month, Bainimarama was suspended from parliament for three years for insulting the president, and this week he resigned from parliament in protest. Prosecutors claim Bainimarama and Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho terminated an investigation into former staff members of the University of the South Pacific.