Bainimarama, Qiliho plead not guilty to inciting mutiny charges

Former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and former Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho have pleaded not guilty to charges of inciting mutiny.

They appeared before Resident Magistrate Yogesh Prasad at the Suva Magistrates Court this morning.

The two are accused of two counts of inciting mutiny. It is alleged they attempted to incite senior officers of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces to arrest and overthrow the RFMF Commander, Ro Jone Kalouniwai.

An early hearing date is also a possibility in the case the court has heard.

Acting Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Luisa Latu told the court the State intends to call 24 witnesses. However, agreed facts have not yet been finalised.

Magistrate Prasad told both parties the court has trial dates available from October to December, in line with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ intention to fast-track the matter.

Defence lawyer Devanesh Sharma said the defence had a scheduling setback due to a High Court matter in Suva, with a separate hearing set for November.

The case was adjourned to May 6 for a pre-trial conference.

Both accused remain on bail.