There is increasing doubt surrounding the Presidential pardon granted to Mahendralal Patel, also known as Mahendra Motibhai Patel, who has not served 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, Patel did not serve his sentence as the court allowed him to travel overseas for medical treatment, and he failed to return from his leave. Efforts to reach Attorney-General Graham Leung, who chairs the Mercy Commission, for clarification on the conditions of Patel’s pardon have been unsuccessful.
Additionally, Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) Commissioner Jalesi Nakarawa confirmed that Patel’s name was not included in the list submitted to the Mercy Commission since he was not in their custody. The FCS’s release list published last Thursday did not mention Patel, yet shortly after, the Fiji Government’s Facebook page announced his pardon among others.
According to Nakarawa, the FCS processes applications from convicted prisoners, but they were unaware of Patel’s case. The Mercy Commission stated that Patel originally submitted a petition on April 4, 2023, which was dismissed, but they received a request for reconsideration from his lawyers on June 13. Considering his age, the duration of his absence from Fiji, and his contributions to the nation, the Commission recommended a conditional pardon, which the President approved on September 18, 2024, asserting that the decision was consistent with constitutional guidelines.