Concerns are rising regarding the Presidential pardon granted to Mahendralal Patel, also known as Mahendra Motibhai Patel, particularly because he has not served his prison sentence.
In 2006, Mr. Patel was charged with Abuse of Office and was convicted in absentia on November 20, 2014, receiving a 12-month imprisonment sentence. However, he did not fulfill his prison term as the court permitted him to leave the country for medical treatment, from which he never returned.
Efforts to reach Attorney-General Graham Leung, who chairs the Mercy Commission, for clarity on the conditional pardon given to Mr. Patel have been ongoing since Sunday, but inquiries remain unanswered as of yesterday.
Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) Commissioner Jalesi Nakarawa stated that Mr. Patel’s name was not included in the FCS list submitted to the Mercy Commission. The FCS’s release list, published last Thursday, did not mention Mr. Patel, yet shortly after, the Fiji Government’s Facebook page announced his name among those pardoned.
Commissioner Nakarawa emphasized that the FCS only processes applications from incarcerated prisoners. He noted that Mr. Patel was not under their custody, leaving him puzzled as to how Patel’s petition reached the Mercy Commission.
According to a statement released by the Mercy Commission, Patel had initially submitted a petition on April 4, 2023, which was dismissed. However, his lawyers sent a letter for reconsideration on June 13, leading the Commission to review his case, considering his age, absence from Fiji, and significant contributions to the nation. This resulted in a recommendation for a conditional pardon, which was approved by the President on September 18, 2024. The Commission affirmed that their decision adhered to the constitutional guidelines.