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"Not guilty" pleader begins to grow hair |
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August 6, 2000
SUVA, Fiji (AP) - Rebel leader George Speight and a dozen men he led in storming Parliament to overthrow Fiji's elected government pleaded innocent Saturday to the first charges stemming from his coup. The charges were minor, but prosecutors for the first time said they would ignore an amnesty granted to the group by the military and were likely to charge Speight with crimes directly related to the May Parliament raid and two months of civil unrest which followed. Under heavy security, Speight and the group of 12 were brought from a prison island off the capital, Suva, where they have been held for over a week to Suva Magistrate's Court. Army marksmen patrolled the roof of the downtown court building, which was cordoned off and guarded by dozens of soldiers and police as a police convoy brought the suspects to the back entrance. Inside the court, Speight, his trademark bald shaved head covered in stubble, and his key military adviser Ilisoni Lingairi were charged with five counts: -Going armed in public between May 19 and July 27 "without lawful occasion and in such a manner as to cause terror." -Consorting with people carrying firearms and ammunition between May 19 and July 27. -Unlawfully burying a supporter in Parliament. -Unlawful assembly between May 19 and July 18 at Parliament. -Unlawful assembly between July 19 and May 27 at Kalabu school, a rebel stronghold. The rest of the group were charged with the same crimes, except the first count. All pleaded innocent. The first charge carries a maximum penalty of 2 years in prison; the second 4 years; the third a fine; the last two years in prison. Prosecutors said authorities considered that the immunity decree - granted in return for the safe release of dozens of hostages taken in the Parliament raid - was invalid, and sedition and treason charges against Speight were being investigated. Arguing against bail, prosecutor Rachel Olutimayin argued that military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama was under duress when he signed the decree and that Speight had failed to meet one of its conditions - that all weapons held by the rebels be returned. "Any decree entered into under duress is null and void and of no legal consequence, therefore no one can take advantage of the immunity," Olutimayin said. Another prosecutor, Jo Naigulevu, said that despite the minor nature of the current charges, the group posed a "great risk to public safety" and their release would be a "serious prejudice to law and order in this country." Naigulevu said a police investigation was under way and more serious charges were likely, including sedition and treason. Speight faces a death sentence if found guilty of treason, although no one has been executed in Fiji since independence from Britain in 1970. Defense lawyer Rabo Matabalavu sought bail on the grounds that the amnesty was in place, and the only charges left were of a minor nature. "These people should not be before the court today," Matabalavu said. "All of the offenses except perhaps one .. are the subject of the immunity decree." After almost six hours of argument, including a meeting with lawyers from both sides behind closed doors, Chief Magistrate Salesi Temo remanded the group in custody until Sept. 1 and also adjourned the case until that date. But he also scheduled an interim hearing for Aug. 11, at which the defense may seek to argue again for bail. Temo said the defense's argument was strong compared to that of the prosecution, but added he was concerned about the prosecution allegation that the group was in control of the still outstanding weapons. Speight, wearing blue training pants and a blue jacket rather than his usual traditional "sulu" skirt, smiled at his girlfriend, family members, and journalists during the hearing. As he was led away, Speight said the result was fair. Asked if he had any regrets, he replied: "No regrets. None at all." By the time the hearing ended, a crowd of about 200 family members and other supporters had gathered outside the courthouse singing hymns. As the prison bus drove out, the crowd cheered and the rebels smiled and waved. Speight, a failed businessman, led a group of gunmen into Parliament on May 19 and held dozens of officials for two months until the military met rebel demands for an amnesty, discarding the multiracial constitution and ousting the hostage government. Speight claimed that ethnic Indian Fijians have too much power and threaten indigenous Fijian culture. Ethnic Indian Fijians - whose ancestors were brought to Fiji in the 1870s by British colonialists as indentured laborers - make up 44 percent of the nation's 814,000 people and dominate business and commerce. The raid cast Fiji into turmoil and sparked international condemnation of the South Pacific nation's abandonment of democracy. Raids, hostage-taking, theft, beatings and arson have become commonplace in small ethnic Indian-dominated rural communities across Fiji since the coup. The military has vowed to track down those responsible for the attacks.
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