Here is the excerpt from the article:
Call for the truth on Ridgway
Senior government appointments should be made in a transparent manner and should not go to those who toe the right political line.
Former Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei party general secretary Ema Druavesi made the comment after the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions suspended Acting DPP Kevueli Tunidau for making public statements against the appointment of an expatriate to take up the job.
“If the Government expelled former Deputy DPP Peter Ridgway, then why is it looking to employ another expatriate?” said Mrs Druavesi.
“Was it because of his successful work in putting to jail some of the well-known names in the community? Who was that junior officer who had given the letter of expulsion to Mr Ridgway? Who has given him the authority to write the letter? The Government should come out clean and explain to the public why it chose to employ another expatriate after they had earmarked Tunidau for the job.”
When Mr Tunidau was sent in as a replacement, she said, it had cost the Government money for him to study overseas. She said the Government should reinstate Mr Tunidau if it was to be true in implementing the blueprint.
The action to remove Peter Rideway also places the spotlight on some members of Fiji Police who have are also tainted with involvement, collusion and corruption with the coup makers of 1987 and 2000.
Here is another article by Micheal Field with Rideway outlining the scope of investigations.
State prosecutor cites Fiji vice-president and key politicians in coup
By Michael Field
SUVA, March 7 2003 - A Fiji state prosecutor in High Court Friday made pointed references to the nation’s vice-president and several leading politicians who he said were involved in the treason behind the May 2000 coup which ended the country’s first Indian led government.
Australian Peter Ridgway was summing up in the treason trial of journalist Jo Nata and politician Timoci Silatolu have been on trial for treason before Australian Justice Andrew Wilson here.
Law enforcement sources outside court told AFP a new set of high profile arrests was imminent.
Now convicted traitor George Speight led a group of special forces soldiers into Parliament on May 19, 2000, seizing then Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and eventually holding him and his government hostage for 58 days. During that time the military declared martial law and later installed a civilian government. Chaudhry never returned to office.
The handful of arrests since then have prompted numerous questions from Chaudhry over what he saw as a cover-up of other more significant people in the coup.
Speaking in court Ridgway named Speight and Silatolu and the current deputy speaker of parliament, Rakuita Vakalalabure, as “these three men acting in a common pursuit“ at the head of the coup.
Vakalalabure, who leads the Conservative Alliance party formed to campaign to get Speight pardoned, has never been charged with any offence. His party provides key coalition support for the Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase’s government.
Ridgway said the day after the coup Nata played a key role in swearing in the illegal government, and Ridgway stressed that this was sworn by an illegally declared president, Josefa Seniloli, who is now vice-president and who has never been charged for his role in the coup.
Ridgway also cited several other key figures, still uncharged, for their roles. These included veteran one-time Foreign Minister Bernardo Vunibobo and the then leader of the opposition, Inoke Kubuabola, who is now Fiji’s High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea.
Vunibobo, he said, had attended meetings after the coup and advised Speight and his group that they should tell the United Nations of the “new regime” in place and that the seat in the world body should go to them.
Documents seized later from Nata’s home showed that Vunibobo was to be the new foreign minister and Kubuabola the telecommunications minister.
Kubuabola worked with Nata to draft the decrees, the court was told.
In court he made no reference to any charges against the men and referred to them instead as “the cohort of losers” as they had all lost seats in parliament in earlier elections and were engaged in trying to remove a democratically elected government.
During the hearing of evidence a defence witness, former special forces solider Salesi Tuifagalele who had immunity from prosecution, caused a sensation by claiming under oath that Speight, before the coup, had told them that the coup had the financial backing of two leading Indian companies, C J Patel and Punjas.
On Friday Ridgway told the five assessors that Tuifagalele’s evidence was not credible, particularly the reference to the companies: “That is the kind of thing Speight would say to convince greedy, ignorant, stupid people to fall into the plot, don’t believe it.”
In court the significance of the naming of various politicians were not explained, however a law enforcement source outside court said it was a “clear warning.
“We are awaiting the outcome of this trial and more arrests will follow.”
The move will not necessarily directly destabilise the Qarase Government but could wreck its coalition partner. It may force the government to call a snap election ahead another date in court, in June when Chaudhry’s Fiji Labour Party goes to the Supreme Court to challenge the legality of the government itself.
A public opinion poll this week showed Qarase retaining support among Fijian voters while the pro-Speight camp was losing support.
Justice Wilson was to have begun summing up by now and it was expected a verdict would come by Tuesday.
However it is not now expected until March 17 at the earliest, and Justice Wilson suppressed from publication the reasons for the delay.
All counsel agreed with the reason.
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