A former Land Transport Authority certifying officer was sentenced to eight months imprisonment by the Ba Magistrates Court yesterday.

Filimoni Bola was charged by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption with one count of bribery.

Bola accepted a bribe of $50 for passing a vehicle without conducting a fitness inspection in 2014.

He had denied the charge but was found guilty and convicted accordingly last December.

In delivering the Sentence, Resident Magistrate Samuela Qica said that if the trust and confidence, which gives legitimacy to the State, is eroded through bribery and corrupt practices by public servants, the State would lose its legitimacy to exist.

He stated that while noting the mitigating factors, a blind eye could not be turned from the fact that a deterrent is required in the public interest and for public servants for this type of offence.

Furthermore, he reiterated a strong warning to public officers that if they decide to break the law by committing similar or related offences, the Courts will not deal with them leniently.