Australian Idol Star Facing Jail Time For Allegedly Bribing Government Official

Australian singer Paulini is reportedly facing jail time for allegedly bribing a government official.

According to The Daily Telegraph, police will allege that the Fijian-born artist paid a Roads and Maritime Services employee to give her a fake, unrestricted NSW driver’s licence.

Adding to this, Paulini reportedly obtained the license despite not being qualified to drive. 

The offence carries a maximum seven-year sentence. 

The 34-year-old, who rose to fame in 2003 after finishing fourth on the first season of Australian Idol, faces one charge of corruptly giving a benefit for an agent and will appear in Mount Druitt Local Court next week.

"She's aware of the gravity of the charges and she has instructed us as her legal representatives to treat the matter with the ­utmost seriousness," Paulini's lawyer, Michael Korn, said.

Paulini is currently performing as the lead star in the Brisbane leg of a theatre production of The Bodyguard.