A New Zealand man wanted in connection with serious organised and transnational crime has been deported from Tonga, weeks after a high-profile escape from police custody involving a Tongan-New Zealander and a Fijian national.
Tonga Police confirmed on Friday 2 that an unidentified male New Zealand citizen was deported to New Zealand on September 16 following the completion of legal and administrative processes.
Police said the deported man was wanted in New Zealand in connection with “serious organised and transnational crime matters”.
During investigations in Tonga, he was charged with knowingly dealing with a forged document.
Police said that following his escape from lawful police custody on July 19, he was further charged with escaping from police custody and conspiracy.
Tonga Police have not identified the deported man, and have not confirmed whether he was one of the prisoners publicly named following the July escape.
Escape sparked major manhunt
The deportation comes after Tonga Police launched a major manhunt in July when three prisoners escaped from custody at the Central Police Station in Nukuʻalofa.
At the time, police publicly identified two adult escapees as 34-year-old Tongan-New Zealander Liuaki Fungalei Kokohu Vi, who also goes by the alias Michael Tama, and Fijian national Adam Zabid Hussein.
A third escapee, a 15-year-old boy, was recaptured shortly afterwards.
Police warned members of the public not to approach the two adult escapees and said they should be considered dangerous.
Police Commissioner Geoff Turner subsequently announced rewards of up to TOP$5000 for information leading to the arrest and capture of each man.
Turner said Vi was considered the “highest-risk escapee” because of his criminal history and the serious offences associated with him.
Police said at the time that both Vi and Hussein were wanted over passport fraud.
Turner also disclosed that Tonga Police were working with overseas authorities in relation to Vi because of his international links, although he declined to provide further details.
The escape also exposed concerns about security at Tonga’s main police station.
Turner said police had already identified a potential security vulnerability in the Central Police Station cells before the prisoners escaped.
A company had been scheduled to carry out upgrades to the cells on August 3, but the escape occurred before that work could be completed.
“Unfortunately, this happened before we could…upgrade the cells,” Turner said at the time.
Police warned that anyone found harbouring the fugitives could be prosecuted and potentially face up to 10 years in prison.
Deportation follows international cooperation
In Friday’s statement, Tonga Police said the deportation reflected continuing cooperation between Tonga and international law-enforcement agencies in tackling organised and transnational crime.
“His deportation reflects the continued cooperation between Tonga and international law enforcement agencies in addressing organised and transnational crime and preventing individuals from evading lawful processes across jurisdictions,” police said.
Tonga Police said they remained committed to international cooperation in fighting organised and transnational crime and upholding the rule of law across borders.
