Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has dismissed claims of political interference regarding the pardoning of George Speight, the figure behind the 2000 coup, and Shane Stevens, the former leader of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit.
These assertions arose after members of his political party called for their release during campaign events for the People’s Alliance in the lead-up to the 2022 General Election, with the latest discussion occurring on September 13.
Last Thursday, Speight and Stevens were among seven individuals who received a Presidential Pardon. Speight was initially sentenced to death for treason after pleading guilty in 2002, but his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.
During a press conference yesterday, Rabuka emphasized that the Mercy Commission operates independently and that the decision to pardon the two men was made entirely by the commission following proper procedures.
“The People’s Alliance has stated that the 2013 Constitution and its various components will be upheld, including the powers of the Mercy Commission, which functions without government interference,” Rabuka noted. “The decision was solely the Mercy Commission’s, with no involvement from anyone in government or political circles.”