Fiji ex-military head jailed

SUVA - Fiji's former Land Force commander Pita Driti was sentenced to five years imprisonment on Wednesday for inciting mutiny.

Justice Paul Madigan told Driti in court that inciting mutiny is a very serious offense and sentenced him to five years imprisonment where he would serve four years before he is eligible for parole.

Evidence showed that Driti had made comments to junior officers between August and October 2010 that Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed- Khaiyum should be removed as he had too much influence on Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, and Driti shared a plan with another military officer.

The plan was to cancel Bainimarama's passport when he went to Sudan, not to allow him back in the country, go to the president and dissolve the government, remove the president if he did not agree to follow the plan, appoint an interim administration, detain and send the Bainimarama family to another country and bring in troops from Australia and New Zealand to secure the border to contain any internal conflicts from disgruntled people, local news website Fijivillage reported.

Evidence was also presented about the unaccounted weapons and ammunition that are believed to belong to Driti and were piled up at the Grand Pacific Hotel site in 2010.