Fiji's former prime minister Frank Bainimarama will spend the night in police custody after being charged with abuse of office.

Fiji Police allege that in September 2011 Mr Bainimarama "recklessly abused" his position by waiving through a tender bid for hospital engineering services.  

Mr Bainimarama's former attorney-general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, and the country's former health minister, Dr Neil Sharma, have also been charged.

Mr Bainimarama, a former coup leader, led Fiji for 16 years before being ousted in the 2022 general election. 

The three men were taken into custody for questioning on Tuesday morning and were charged over the alleged offences on Tuesday evening (local time).

They will spend the night in custody and face court in Suva on Wednesday.

In a detailed statement of charges released on Tuesday evening, police allege the three men "failed to comply" with statutory requirements for tenders as stipulated under Fiji law. 

Mr Bainimarama is alleged to have granted a "waiver of tender process without lawful justification" leading to the abuse of office charge. 

As well as one abuse of office charge, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum is accused of intentionally obstructing Fiji's Independent Commission Against Corruption in its subsequent investigation. 

Mr Sharma was charged with two counts of abuse of office and two counts of breach of trust for his alleged role. 

The latest police investigation comes after Mr Bainimarama was last year found not guilty of perverting the course of justice after a Fijian court had ruled there was insufficient evidence to convict him.

He spent a night in custody in March last year following the charges, which accused him of interfering in an investigation into financial mismanagement at the University of the South Pacific.

Mr Bainimarama, who still commands strong support from some sections of the Fijian public, resigned from parliament last year but remains active in politics.

Yet his 16-year reign over Fiji was shrouded in controversy, with critics highlighting iron-fisted control of the government amid well-documented restrictions of civil liberties. 

Mr Bainimarama's supporters have accused Fiji's new government, led by Sitiveni Rabuka, of conducting a political witch-hunt through the police and the courts.