Former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and former Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho have been charged with alleged mutiny and are currently in custody at Totogo Police Station, Suva.

Fiji authorities confirmed to The Fiji Times that both are expected to appear in court tomorrow.

Bainimarama’s lawyer, Gul Fatima, declined to comment to media on the specifics of the charges. The pair will spend the night at Totogo Police Station pending possible court proceedings.

The allegations relate to actions in late 2022, when Bainimarama and Qiliho are said to have attempted to compel the Republic of Fiji Military Forces to deploy troops amid claims of civil unrest while negotiations to form a new government were ongoing.

In January 2026, Assistant Commissioner of Police Crime Mesake Waqa confirmed to local media that investigations are ongoing, following earlier reports of alleged sedition involving the former PM and police chief.

The case follows a string of high-profile convictions for Bainimarama, who in 2025 was sentenced to one year in prison for obstructing a police investigation into corruption at the University of the South Pacific (USP). Qiliho was also sentenced to two years in prison. Both were later released early under the Fiji Corrections Service review.

Bainimarama, 70, led Fiji for over 15 years until losing the 2022 election to current Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. He remains leader of the now-deregistered FijiFirst party and continues to have political support despite past convictions.

The unfolding legal proceedings mark another chapter in the former leader’s controversial career, which began when he seized power in a 2006 coup and later returned Fiji to democracy with elections in 2014 and 2018.

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