24. Death by hanging 18 February 2002

Speight of Violence 36

A year after the coup, courts got down to business. George and Jim Speight, Silatolu, Nata, Ligairi, Josefa Savua, Duvuloco, soldier Apenisa Rovutiqica who had harassed reporters outside Parliament, and five others were charged with treason, alleging that they did 'together and with other persons unknown, between the last day of May 2000 and the 27th day of July 2000 inclusive, at Suva, in the Central Division and in other places in the Central Division and elsewhere in Fiji, conspire to overthrow the Government of the Republic of the Fiji Islands as established by law and for that purpose and in furtherance thereof did use unlawful force and other unlawful means'.

The charge contained 13 'overt acts' which covered key details of the coup, including taking hostages, declaring an illegal government, abrogating the constitution, fomenting civil commotion, murdering policeman Filipo Seavula and seizing military arms, all 'in order to deploy potential, threatened or actual force against the Government of the Republic of the Fiji Islands as established by law.'

Temo opened a committal hearing, sitting in the room which had been the original Assembly Rabuka had overthrown. Gerard McCoy opened for the state, saying the prosecution only had to prove a single overt act against any one individual to successfully hold the treason charge against that individual: '13 accused, 13 overt acts, 169 combinations'. The plotters were traitors who planned to blow up banks, sink ships and seize Mara. They had wanted to dynamite Parliament and the Westpac and ANZ banks in central Suva, as well as issue petrol bombs to Fijian youths to attack shops and to watersiders to sink ships. Speight had attended meetings at Duvuloco's home in Mitchell Place, and at the last had confirmed firearms and soldiers for the coup would be available. McCoy said many of the weapons used had seen service in the 1987 coups: 'a classic case of recycling'. McCoy said during the hostage period Ligairi 'brutally grabbed' Chaudhry and, holding a gun to his head, threatened to shoot him at any time. Chaudhry was beaten up by Fijian youths in the Parliament so badly that he needed to be put on oxygen that night, McCoy said. Ligairi was 'hysterical' for much of the time.