George Speight, the leader of the 2000 coup, has received a Presidential Pardon from the Mercy Commission. During its recent meeting, the Commission reviewed mercy petitions from Speight and six other prisoners, including Shane Stevens, the leader of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) group.
Speight had been serving a life sentence for treason, while Stevens was serving a life sentence for mutiny. The other individuals receiving pardons include Sekina Vosavakatini, Nioni Tagici, James Sanjesh Goundar, Adi Livini Radininausori, and John Miller.
After deliberating, the Commission made recommendations for mercy, which were approved by the President of Fiji, acting under Section 119(5) of the Constitution. The pardons were officially granted yesterday, leading to the immediate discharge of the mentioned individuals from custody.
Unfortunately, the pardon for James Sanjesh Goundar came too late, as he passed away on September 6 at the Minimum Corrections Center.