Lord Fusitu’a is still in New Zealand, according to unconfirmed reports.
Kaniva news has contacted the Parliamentary chief clerk for confirmation.
Lord Fusitu’a was re-elected to Parliament in a by-election yesterday.
The Noble was airlifted to Middlemore hospital in New Zealand last year. As Kaniva news reported at the time, Lord Fusitu’a had been hospitalised at Vaiola hospital in Tonga where he was placed on a ventilator.
The Minister of Finance confirmed last year that the government had paid for the noble’s expenses including the air ambulance, but he did not reveal the amount of money paid.
Sources told Kaniva news that Parliamentary law dictated that an MP could not be absent for more than a year and that Lord Fusitu’a had not attended sittings since August 5, 2019.
However, although the Noble missed Parliament he still received his Parliamentary pay and entitlements as a Noble according to Parliamentary regulations.
His seat was declared vacant last month.
A by-election to replace Lord Fusitu’a was held at the Palace Office yesterday.
Lord Fusitu’a’s re-election has been criticised on the grounds that he would still not be able to attend Parliament, a reliable source told Kaniva News.
The three Niuas nobles, Lord Tangipa, Lord Kalaniuvalu Fotofili and Lord Fusitu’a, who voted in absentia, voted among themselves.
Lord Fusitu’a won the seat with two votes while Lord Tangipa received one, said the Electoral Commissioner, Pita Vuki.
The Noble will continue to receive his Parliamentary pay and entitlements after yesterday’s election.
The main points
- Lord Fusitu’a is still in hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, according to unconfirmed reports.
- Kaniva news has contacted the Parliamentary chief clerk for confirmation.
- Lord Fusitu’a was re-elected to Parliament in a by-election yesterday.