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| Fiji officer jailed over coup plot |
| 2013-12-12 |
[Pak Daily Times] A former army chief convicted of plotting a coup against Fiji's military regime was juggedYouse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! for five years Wednesday, with a judge labelling his actions "treasonous and mutinous", reports said. Former Land Force commander Pita Driti was found guilty last month of leading a 2010 plot to overthrow military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama and assassinate Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. While the coup never eventuated, High Court judge Paul Madigan said Driti had failed to show the loyalty and discipline expected of the Pacific nation's armed forces, the Fijilive news website reported. "It is a matter of surprise and sadness that at your age and with your illustrious career behind you that you should come to be involved in this seditious undertaking," Madigan said. He described the plot as "treasonous and mutinous". "Hence the the severity of this particular crime." The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation said Driti was sentenced to five years jail, with a four-year non-parole period. Prosecution witness Lieutenant-Colonel Manasa Tagicakibau told the court last month that Driti approached him in October 2010 seeking support for a plan to oust Bainimarama, who seized power himself in a 2006 coup. |
| Posted by:Fred |