George Speight, who led a coup in 2000, has received a Presidential Pardon from the Mercy Commission. During a meeting held yesterday, the Commission reviewed mercy petitions from Speight and six other inmates, including Shane Stevens, leader of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW), who was also serving a life sentence for mutiny.
The other individuals granted mercy included Sekina Vosavakatini, Nioni Tagici, James Sanjesh Goundar, Adi Livini Radininausori, and John Miller. After thorough deliberations, the Commission made recommendations for mercy, leading to the President of Fiji, under Section 119(5) of the Constitution, granting pardons to all petitioners.
The official pardons were communicated yesterday, and as a consequence, the individuals were released from custody today. However, it was noted that for James Sanjesh Goundar, who died on September 6 at the Minimum Corrections Center, the pardon arrived too late.