Lautoka lawyer and legal counsel of the eight soldiers convicted to 4 years imprisonment after being found guilty of the death of Sakiusa Rabaka said it was never the intention of the defence to use the amnesty provision in court to get his clients discharged.

Harron Ali Shah made the comment after prosecution lawyer Wilisoni Kurusaqila said the issue of amnesty had been raised before the case went to trial but he strongly objected to it because the amnesty period was from December 6th 2006 to January 5th 2007 and Rabaka's incident does not fall in the period of amnesty.