Former Cook Islands Minister of Marine Resources Teina Bishop has been sentenced to 28 months imprisonment.
Bishop was found guilty last month on corruption charges as a minister of the Crown.
It involved a loan obtained by Bishop from a subsidiary of a foreign fishing company and the subsequent granting of fishing licences.
Teina Bishop supported by his daughter Tania Bishop outside the High Court in Rarotonga Photo: RNZI/Cook Islands News
This is the first time a sentence of imprisonment has been handed down to a Cook Islander for corrupt activities while serving as a minister of the Crown.
The sentencing ends three years of investigation into the case by Cook Islands Police and the New Zealand Serious Fraud Office and a trial that lasted almost two weeks.
It is understood the sentence will be appealed by Mr Bishop's defence team.
