George Speight, the leader of the 2000 coup in Fiji, has been granted a Presidential pardon by the Mercy Commission. During a meeting held yesterday, the Commission reviewed mercy petitions submitted by Speight and six other inmates, including Shane Stevens, the leader of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) group.
Speight had been serving a life sentence for treason, while Stevens was imprisoned for mutiny. The other individuals granted mercy included Sekina Vosavakatini, Nioni Tagici, James Sanjesh Goundar, Adi Livini Radininausori, and John Miller.
Following the Commission’s recommendations, the President of Fiji, exercising authority under Section 119(5) of the Constitution, approved pardons for all the petitioners. The formal pardons were issued yesterday, leading to the official release of these individuals from custody today. However, James Sanjesh Goundar, who passed away on September 6 at the Minimum Corrections Center, did not benefit from the pardon as it arrived too late for him.