Fiji’s former Prime Minister and police chief charged with inciting mutiny

Fiji’s former Prime Minister and coup leader, Frank Bainimarama, is back in police custody - this time accused of inciting mutiny over the mobilisation of the military following the country’s 2022 general election.

Bainimarama and former Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho were charged on Wednesday and are being held overnight at Totogo Police Station in Suva. They are expected to appear in court on Thursday.

According to local media, the pair have been charged with inciting mutiny.

Acting Police Commissioner Mesake Waqa confirmed to journalists that the pair were questioned earlier in the day by detectives at the Criminal Investigations Department headquarters in the capital.

The questioning is understood to relate to events following the December 2022 election, when Bainimarama’s FijiFirst Party failed to secure enough seats to form government.

At the time, Qiliho publicly stated that police required military assistance to maintain law and order amid concerns about rising racial tensions.

Totogo Police Station in Suva where Bainimarama and Qiliho are being held ahead of their court appearance. Fiji Police have released limited details about the mutiny allegations.Photo/Fiji Police/file

Investigators are now examining whether there were attempts to influence or mobilise the Republic of Fiji Military Forces when Bainimarama did not have the mandate to govern.

The two men were reportedly picked up from their homes around 1pm on Wednesday (local time) and taken in for questioning.

Earlier in the day, Bainimarama had attended Ash Wednesday mass at Suva’s Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Watch as Frank Bainimarama and Sitiveni Qiliho leave the Fiji Police CID headquarters in Suva before being remanded in custody.

Authorities have released limited details about the allegations. Lawyers for the former leaders have referred media inquiries to police.

The dramatic development marks another chapter in the unravelling of a man who once dominated Fiji’s political landscape.

Bainimarama, a former military commander, seized power in a 2006 coup that ousted then-prime minister Laisenia Qarase.

He went on to lead Fiji for 16 years, first as interim leader and later as elected prime minister, maintaining a firm grip on the country’s institutions until his defeat at the 2022 polls.

His administration was frequently criticised by opponents and international observers for censorship, arbitrary arrests, and the heavy-handed use of military power.

But supporters credit him with modernising infrastructure and reshaping Fiji’s political system.

Members of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces at a training drill in Suva. The mutiny charges against former prime minister Frank Bainimarama relate to the alleged mobilisation of the army following the 2022 general election. Photo/RFMF

Since leaving office, Bainimarama has faced mounting legal troubles. Last October, he received a suspended prison sentence after being convicted on a corruption charge.

Earlier in 2024, he and Qiliho were jailed for perverting the course of justice in relation to blocking a police investigation at the University of the South Pacific in 2021.

Qiliho, a brigadier and long-time ally of Bainimarama, served as police commissioner during much of his tenure and was widely viewed as instrumental in enforcing the government’s authority during periods of political tension.

The latest charges, centred on alleged efforts to influence the military after the 2022 election, strike at the heart of Fiji’s democratic transition following Bainimarama’s electoral defeat.

For a country with a history of coups and military intervention in politics, the sight of a former prime minister and police chief facing mutiny-related charges is both unprecedented and deeply symbolic.

All eyes will now turn to Thursday’s court appearance in Suva, where further details of the case are expected to emerge.