Attorney General, Siromi Turaga [left] and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the establishment of the Mercy Commission will be on the agenda of the next Constitutional Offices Commission meeting as it is a substantive paper for discussion.

Rabuka says the next meeting will be on the 18th of this month.

Attorney General, Siromi Turaga says there are substantive matters that will be deliberated in this meeting, but he cannot reveal them at this stage.

Turaga confirms the establishment of the Mercy Commission will be on the agenda of one of the next Constitutional Offices Commission meetings.

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister had revealed in one of his addresses during his tour in the Northern Division that the government will establish a Mercy Commission.

According to the 2013 Constitution, Section 119 (2) states that “The Commission consists of – (a) the Attorney-General who is to be its chairperson and (b) 4 other members appointed by the President, acting on the advice of the Judicial Services Commission, following consultations with the Attorney-General.”

Section 119 (3) of the 2013 Constitution states, “On the petition of any convicted person, the commission may recommend that the President exercise a power of mercy by – (a) granting a free or conditional pardon to a person convicted of any offence; (b) postponing the carrying out of a punishment, either for a specific indeterminate period; or (c) remitting all or part of a punishment.”