Frank Bainimarama, convicted former Fiji Primer Minister was recently released from prison. Overall, he was in office from 5. January 2007 to 24. December 2022, a long therm.
Back in mid 2020, during coronavirus, Frank Bainimarama tried to attract billionaires there as ,,escape the pandemic in paradise”. In United Nation’s Champions of the Earth it is quoted:
“Prime Minister Bainimarama has demonstrated the leadership and ambition demanded by the escalating global climate emergency,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “
And there is a youtube video of his 2020’s speech and note how he has been consistently advocating and raising the alarm about the dangerous consequences of climate change. So, obviously, he was praised as one of Pacific Island’s leader in climate changes fight.
But, on 17. February 2023. he was suspended from parliament for three years, and on On 8. March 2023. he resigned both from Parliament and as leader of the opposition. And day later, on 9. March 2023. Frank Bainimarama was charged with office abuse, because he and Sitiveni Qiliho (and his police commissioner) interfered with an investigation into financial mismanagement at the University of the South Pacific. On 9. May 2024. he was sentenced to a one year in prison. But on 9 November 2024, he was released after spending around half year in prison. Weird paths of climate fighters these days!
More about this case on these links:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/533224/convicted-former-fiji-prime-minister-frank-bainimarama-released-from-prison-early
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/516390/former-fiji-pm-frank-bainimarama-jailed
https://www.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2020/frank-bainimarama
