Reaction To Release
The military forces were also displeased, and took what was widely seen as an extraordinary step by issuing a public statement. Captain Neumi Leweni of the Royal Fiji Military Forces media cell called the early release "an insult to our sense of justice and the rule of law" and a "riot." "We are falling fast into the abyss and if nothing is done about this quickly, we will continue falling, never to recover," Leweni said. He and other senior military said they believed the release of Ratu Jope was a political ploy to gain the support of "the same type of people who gathered in droves at the parliamentary complex in 2000" - a reference to the supporters of the coup. The officers predicted that if the Attorney General was not reined in quickly, there could be "a return to the mayhem of 2000." Leweni's judgement that Ratu Seniloli's release threatened national security was subsequently backed up by Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the Commander of the Armed Forces.
Joji Kotobalavu, a spokesman for Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, rejected the criticism and said that the military had acted improperly by issuing a political statement. The senior officers should have notified the Home Affairs Ministry of their feelings privately, he said, adding that by publicly airing their opinions, the military was creating a climate of "uncertainty," leading people to wonder whether the government or the military was running the country.
Ratu Seniloli's early release was coupled with his resignation from office. Although not stated, this was believed to be a condition of his release. A government spokesman said that Ratu Seniloli would receive a pension equivalent to 30 percent of his Vice-Presidential salary.
By law, prisoners are not eligible for release until half their sentence has been served, but a special case was made for Seniloli due to the poor state of his health. He was released into "compulsory supervision," under which he is required to report daily to the police, and is not allowed to change his address or travel outside of Fiji without permission.
Read more about this topic: Jope Seniloli
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