Fiji Corrections Service Commissioner Jalesi Nakarawa stated that there are no legal barriers preventing George Speight from seeking clemency. Speight, a key figure in the 2000 coup, along with former Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit leader Shane Stevens, was among seven individuals granted a Presidential Pardon last Thursday.
Speight was charged with treason and pled guilty, receiving a death sentence that was later commuted to life imprisonment in 2002. Having spent 24 years and more than 8,800 days in custody, his time was served both on Nukulau Island and at the Naboro Corrections Complex. Notably, he has no prior convictions.
Nakarawa clarified that while some believe Speight has been pardoned twice, this interpretation is misleading. He explained that the first pardon was not initiated by Speight himself but was a legal remedy that emerged at a time when the death penalty still existed in law but was in the process of being abolished by the government.
“The final decision regarding clemency lies with the Mercy Commission,” Nakarawa noted, adding that both Speight and Stevens were emotional upon learning of their pardon. They expressed a strong desire to begin anew and consider starting businesses, drawing upon the lessons learned during their time in prison.
Nakarawa asked the public for understanding, emphasizing their commitment to processing matters in accordance with the law, despite differing opinions.