Fiji Corrections Service Commissioner Jalesi Nakarawa stated that there are no legal barriers preventing George Speight from seeking mercy. Speight, the key figure behind the 2000 coup, was granted a Presidential Pardon alongside former Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit leader Shane Stevens last Thursday.
Convicted of treason in 2001 after pleading guilty, Speight had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment in 2002. He has been incarcerated for 24 years, one month, and 23 days, equating to 8,820 days, during which he served time on Nukulau Island and at the Naboro Corrections Complex. He did not have any prior convictions.
Nakarawa clarified the notion that Speight had been pardoned twice, emphasizing that the first pardon did not originate from an application by Speight, but was a response to a legal situation at the time. Although the death penalty remained in legislation, the government was in the process of abolishing it when the courts made their ruling due to a legal loophole. He reiterated that the final decision rests with the Mercy Commission.
Nakarawa reported that both Speight and Stevens were emotional upon receiving the news of their pardon and expressed a desire to start anew, including plans for business ventures, informed by their experiences in prison. He remarked on their joy after such a long time behind bars and appealed to the public to understand that the corrections service is committed to performing its duties within the confines of the law.