Fiji's Coup Leader in Trial TomorrowFailed businessman George Speight goes to court over treason allegations on Tuesday, just over a year after he and a gang of special forces soldiers seized parliament and ended Fiji's democracy.Twelve men accused of leading roles in the attack in which then prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry and his government were held hostage for 56 days will appear before Chief Magistrate Sailesi Temo in a "preliminary inquiry". The inquiry will decide whether the case should go to the High Court. The hearing opens on the first anniversary of the day democracy ended ....on May 29 last year the military suspended the constitution and declared martial law. Still untested is whether Speight and his co-accused have a legally-binding immunity decreed after a deal on July 13 with the military under which the hostages were freed. Speight was also to give up all military arms, but the state claimed he did not and negated the immunity. He was arrested on July 26. |
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