Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has dismissed accusations of political involvement in the pardoning of George Speight, who led the 2000 coup, and Shane Stevens, the former leader of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit (CRW).
This inquiry arose after members of his political party publicly called for their release during campaign meetings for the People’s Alliance leading up to the 2022 General Election, with the latest discussion occurring on September 13.
Speight and Stevens were among seven individuals who received a Presidential Pardon last Thursday. Speight was convicted of treason in 2002 after pleading guilty and originally sentenced to death, which was later changed to life imprisonment.
In a media interview, Mr. Rabuka explained that the Mercy Commission operates independently, and the pardons granted to the two men were entirely at the commission’s discretion following proper procedures.
“The People’s Alliance stated that the 2013 Constitution and its various bodies will function autonomously, including the prerogative of the Mercy Commission, which is free from government influence,” Mr. Rabuka asserted.
“It was the responsibility and choice of the Mercy Commission and had nothing to do with any government or political interference,” he added.