27 May 2005

Fiji coup convict waits for Reconciliation Bill to pass

9:14 am on 27 May 2005

A Fiji coup convict jailed for serious offences, Ratu Viliame Volavola, has opted not to pursue his appeal against his sentence but wait for the government to pass its Reconciliation and Unity Bill in parliament.

Radio Legend reports that this has been disclosed by his wife, Naomi Volavola, who says her husband is remorseful for his actions and believes he could be pardoned once the Bill is passed.

She says this is what her husband told her when she visited him in Suva Prison.

Naomi Volavola has also indicated that Volavola will apply for an early release on a Compulsory Supervision Order once he has completed one year of his sentence.

She says Volavola has also started writing letters to various individuals seeking forgiveness for his actions during the coup.

Volavola was jailed for three years for taking an illegal oath to join Speight's failed administration in the same trial in which the former vice president Ratu Jope Seniloli and the former deputy speaker Ratu Rakuita Vakalalabure were also jailed.

Seniloli was released under a Compulsory Supervision Order last year.