Bainimarama, a former military commander who became an elected leader, was accused of using his political clout to shut down a sensitive police probe while leading the South Pacific nation.

After the verdict, he accused police of bringing “trumped up charges” against him.

He thanked the magistrate overseeing the case for “breaking the confusion”, adding that “truth will prevail”.

The charges related to a police investigation into staff at Fiji’s University of the South Pacific in July 2020, when Bainimarama was prime minister.

A high ranking official from the university had told the court how staff had initially tried to blow the whistle after stumbling across an allegedly suspicious web of bonus payments, promotions, and pay rises within the university.

But once those claims reached police, it was alleged that Bainimarama used his influence to sideline the investigation.

The 69-year-old former naval commodore seized power in a bloodless coup in 2006, leading the Pacific archipelago until he was voted out in December last year.