There is increasing doubt regarding the decision to grant Mahendralal Patel, also known as Mahendra Motibhai Patel, a Presidential pardon despite him not serving his sentence. Patel was charged with Abuse of Office in 2006 and was convicted in absentia on November 20, 2014, receiving a 12-month prison sentence. However, he did not serve this term as the court allowed him to travel abroad for medical treatment, from which he did not return.
Attempts to reach Attorney-General Graham Leung, who chairs the Mercy Commission, for clarification on Patel’s conditional pardon have been unsuccessful since Sunday, with no responses received even after follow-up inquiries. The Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) Commissioner Jalesi Nakarawa confirmed that Patel’s name was not included in the FCS list submitted to the Mercy Commission.
Additionally, Patel was not mentioned in the FCS’s release list last Thursday, yet shortly after, the Fiji Government’s official Facebook page announced the names of those pardoned, including Patel. Nakarawa explained that FCS processes requests from convicted prisoners, stating, “We didn’t know anything about it. His name was not on our list because he was not in our custody,” adding, “I have no idea how his petition reached the Mercy Commission; I only handle cases of convicted prisoners under our care.”
The Mercy Commission released a statement indicating that Patel initially submitted a petition on April 4, 2023, which was dismissed. Following this, on June 13, 2023, his lawyers sought reconsideration for his petition, prompting the Commission to deliberate again. They took into account Patel’s age, the length of his absence from Fiji, and his significant contributions to the country. Consequently, the Commission recommended a conditional pardon for him, dependent on his not reoffending. The President approved this recommendation on September 18, 2024, affirming that the decisions were made in accordance with the Constitution.