Indian dominated Cabinet and lawmakers from his Fiji Labor Party were held hostage for 56 days by the coup plotters before they gave in to military authorities. Sports Minister Sireli Leweniqila, the sixth man tried on the charge, was acquitted by the five-member jury. The conviction means Seniloli loses his post as vice president. The deputy speaker also is expected to lose his parliamentary posts if he is imprisoned. The chairman of the electoral council which selects Fiji's vice presidents, Ratu Ovini Bokini, said he was shocked by the verdict and that his council would have to convene to select a replacement for Seniloli. The maximum sentence for the crime is life imprisonment, which in Fiji normally means 10 years. Prosecutors have told the court they will seek a minimum of no less than seven years to life for the five convicted men. Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes, an Australian appointed to the post last year, said last week that any acts aimed at destabilizing the country in the wake of the trial would not be tolerated.
