HILL: Can you please tell me why you have decided to launch a charge of treason against Commodore Bainimarama?

QARASE: Well, our penal code says that the laying of charges for the crime of treason must be laid within two years from the time this crime was committed. The two years will be up by the 5th December, 2008, so it is only a few months away and we would like to get into the system prior to the date of course and also we believe that the next few months would be sufficient time for the police to carry out their investigations and where necessary lay charges.

HILL: Commodore Bainimarama has taken over the government in a coup, do you seriously expect this to actually succeed to charge him with treason?

QARASE; Well, that's up to the law enforcement agencies. We are doing our part. We believe that everybody should be treated the same before the law. Anyone who has committed an offence or any crime in Fiji should account for their actions before the law. So it is important for everybody and from our point of view that the law is followed and it is applied equally to everybody.

HILL: Do you think that the police will be able to actually investigate such a case against the interim prime minister freely and fairly?

QARASE: That of course is out of our hands. It will be up to the police whether they would like to carry out the investigation. We must ensure that the law is followed and we would like to assist the interim government get back to democracy, but they have a different way of doing it. We have a different way of doing it. We always want to do these things within the law and of course the methods and the proposal by the interim government are basically outside the law, so we cannot support anything done outside the law.

HILL: Isn't attempting to charge a coup leader who is the head of the military with treason a bit dangerous?

QARASE: Well, I mean there are different people with different perceptions. As far as we are concerned, we are trying to ensure that the law is followed.

HILL: The interim attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum has labelled this whole thing a gimmick. Is it a gimmick?

QARASE: Eh, I don't think so. We are serious about it, if not we would not have taken this action and we have considered the implications and so on, but inspite of that, we have decided to take the action that we have taken.

HILL: Are you expecting the government to take some action against you? Do you expect to perhaps be questioned or even arrested over this?

QARASE: Eh, I don't think so, I haven't committed any offence, so I don't expect anything like that to happen.