Fiji Vice-President Ratu Jope Seniloli was jailed for four years on Friday after he was convicted of unlawfully swearing in ministers in a rebel government during a coup by armed nationalists four years ago. Seniloli and four others were convicted by Fiji's High Court on Thursday for their role in the May 2000 coup, which toppled the government of Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry. High Court Judge Nazhad Shameem told Seniloli she had originally decided to sentence him to six years in jail for administering unlawful oaths to the rebel ministers, but reduced the sentence because of his long service to the South Pacific island nation, including 33 years as a schoolteacher. Seniloli's lawyer Maqbool Raza said he was "appalled" by the sentence and planned to appeal. Raza said he would also apply for Seniloli to be freed on bail while the appeal is heard. Seniloli's jailing could have potentially serious implications for Fiji's leadership because President Ratu Josefa Iloilo is an ailing 85-year-old who suffers from Parkinson's disease and requires regular medical treatment in Australia. His death could now potentially leave a power vacuum, although constitutional experts said it was possible Ratu Ovini Bokini, the chairman of the influential Great Council of Chiefs, could decide to act as an interim vice-president in place of Seniloli. A spokeswoman for Iloilo said the president would meet Bokini later on Friday to discuss a possible replacement for Seniloli. --More 1402 Local Time 1102 GMT
