On 31 December 2006, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who had deposed Qarase in a military coup on 5 December, invited Ridgway to return to Fiji to restart his investigations into the 2000 coup.
Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who had seized power from Qarase on 5 December 2006, asked Ridgway to come back to Fiji to re-examine his investigation into the 2000 uprising.