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PM Pōhiva: Missing court documents did not worry me

By
Kaniva Pacific
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Tonga’s Prime Minister ʻAkilisi Pōhiva has told Kaniva News last night in Auckland he was not perturbed by the fact some of his legal documents prepared for a court case were not found after a house he was living in was gutted by fire  on Thursday morning.

Hon Pōhiva said courts in Tonga have copies of those documents and his long-time legal counsel Dr Rodney Harrison in Auckland also has some of them.

“I just want to stay calm in situation like this I do not want to allow such situation to strongly influence me while I have to stay focus on my role as leader of the nation, ” Hon. Pōhiva said.

The Prime Minister said he had talked to his daughter Laucala in Tonga and he was satisfied some of his important files were able to be saved during the blaze.

He was thankful no one was injured in the fire.

The Prime Minister was in Auckland with his wife First Lady Neomai for medical care.

He will leave for Tonga tonight Saturday 25 while his wife was staying in Auckland for her medical treatment.

Hon. Pōhiva said he is expected to return to Auckland shortly on his way to Fiji next week to take part in a meeting.

READ MORE:

* Court documents missing after fire cuts PM’s house while he is New Zealand

* Prime Minister pays for family to travel with him on medical trip to Auckland

Prime Minister pays for family to travel with him on medical trip to Auckland

By
Kalino Latu
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PHOTO: Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva is currently in New Zealand for medical check. Photo/ Kaniva Pacific News

Tonga’s Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva told Kaniva News in Auckland he paid for three family members to accompany him to Auckland, where he has received medical care.

The three other family members who are currently in Auckland with the Prime Minister  are his wife, First Lady Neomai, his private secretary Po’oi Pohiva and a cousin of Neomai.

The Prime Minister also paid for their stay in ‘Atalanga, the Tongan government’s residence in Epsom, Auckland.

Hon. Pohiva and his wife flew to Auckland for medical check-ups.

The Prime Minister said he caught a cold when they arrived and he was admitted to hospital during the weekend. He was later discharged.

He said this was due to the changes in warm and cold weather conditions between Tonga and Auckland.

PM’s healthcare budget

When asked whether the government had any budget for his medical care as Prime Minister of Tonga Hon. Pohiva said he had not asked for it.

“It’s up to the government to look at that, but part of the plan for our trip was for me to pay for everything while we are here in Auckland,” the Prime Minister said.

It is understood the Tongan government has a health care budget for the king and the royals, nobles, Prime Ministers and parliamentarians.

The Prime Minister looked fine and eager to talk and he said he was happy to visit New Zealand and stay in ‘Atalanga.

“This is our home in New Zealand and I am proud to come here and stay in this house,” he said.

The Prime Minister said he paid NZ$60 (TP90) a night for their stay and food.

“It supposed to be NZ$40, but I told the Tongan consul  I would pay NZ$60 to help with the upkeep of the property,” Hon. Pohiva said.

“I feel at home here at ‘Atalanga because the staff here looked after me well.”

‘Atalanga

‘Atalanga is 1.58ha property at 183 St Andrews Rd bought by the late Queen Salote in 1952 to house Tongan scholarship students studying in Auckland.

In 2010 the Late King Tupou V listed the property for sale with Bayley’s real estate agent in Auckland and it was due to be auctioned on October 28 that year.

Tongans in Auckland protested against the sale and legal action was taken in Auckland and Nuku’alofa.

The legal action in New Zealand was led by the late Tongan legal counsel Mataitini Fotu and Sione Fonua, while in Tonga it was led by ‘Akilisi Pohiva and ‘Ofa Fakalata.

The protesters argued the then NZ$9 million (TP13.4 million) property belonged to the state and not the king and that His Majesty should not try to sell it.

The king finally withdrew the sale after his legal team failed to prove that Queen Salote bought the property with her own money after the protesters’ legal team submitted to court evidence that ‘Atalanga was purchased with state money.

The Prime Minister did not say whether his government had any plans for the property, except to say: “This is our home in New Zealand.”

While he was in opposition Hon. Pohiva repeatedly argued the residence should be used for something that could generate money to cover its costs and upkeep.

The upkeep and staffing are paid from Tongan taxpayers’ money.  The property is used to house the Tonga consul and his staff who deal with diplomatic matters in New Zealand and issue Tongan passports.

The king used to stay there while he was in Auckland.

The main points

  • Tongan Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva has paid for three family members to travel with him to Auckland, where he has been receiving medical care.
  • Travelling with him are his wife, First Lady Neomai, private secretary Po’oi Pohiva and a cousin of Neomai.
  • The Prime Minister also paid for their stay in ‘Atalanga, the Tongan government’s residence in Epsom, Auckland.
  • Pohiva said he had not asked the government whether it had funds to cover the costs of his medical care.

Court documents missing after fire guts PM’s house while he is in New Zealand

By
Kalino Latu
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PHOTO: The fire gutted the concrete house where Hon. Pohiva lived destroying almost everything in the house. Photo/One News

Important documents belonging to Prime Minister ’Akilisi Pohiva are feared missing after the house he was living in was gutted by fire this morning.

Kele’a News Website said earlier this evening that Hon. Pohiva’s two daughters, Laucala and Teisa, entered the house while it was still burning in an attempt to save the Prime Minister’s office documents.

They were allowed to enter the building by the fire service, but only managed to save part of the documents.

However, some important legal papers prepared for a court case have not been found.

The Prime Minister is involved in a number of court cases,  including one involving the transfer of US$25 million (TP50 million/NZ$33 million)  of Chinese grant money to Princess Pilolevu’s satellite company.

Hon. Pohiva and the Public Service Association were recently granted leave by Judge Scott in the Court of Appeal to pursue a civil action over the matter.

Judge Scott ruled that the two plaintiffs had to pay TP$20,000 (NZ$13,000) each as security over the likely court costs.

The Prime Minister’s son,  Siaosi Pohiva, recently declared he would sue Matangi Tonga Online and  writer Sione Mokofisi for libel over an article accusing him of using his influence to persuade cabinet to buy computer software.

It is believed the Prime Minister’s daughters were trying to contact him to see if he had taken the documents with him to New Zealand.

The Prime Minister and his wife,  Neomai, are in Auckland for medical care.

The Prime Minister is due to return to Tonga this Saturday.

It is believed most of the records of the Prime Minister’s political career were stored in the house.

Tonga Fire and Emergency Service Commissioner Lofia Heimuli was reported as saying the cause of the fire had yet to be established.

The house belonged to Hon. Pohiva’s son, Siaosi Pohiva, who is working in Fiji.

Kaniva News was unable to reach the Prime Minister for comment this evening.

The main points

  • Fire gutted Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s house this morning and his family is worried that important court documents may have been lost in the fire.
  • Most of the records of Hon. Pohiva’s political career were stored in the house.
  • The Prime Minister and his wife are in Auckland for medical treatment.
  • The Prime Minister is involved in a number of court cases, including one involving the transfer of US$25 million (TP50 million/NZ$33 million)  of Chinese grant money to Princess Pilolevu’s satellite company.

A house PM Pōhiva lives in Halavave destroyed in blaze

By
Kaniva Pacific
-

A house in Halavave where the Prime Minister and his wife lived has been destroyed by fire this morning, it has been confirmed to Kaniva News.

The house belonged to Hon. Pōhiva’s son, Siaosi Pōhiva.

The house fire occurred while the Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva and his wife Neomai are currently in Auckland on  medical trip.

Hon. Pōhiva’s private secretary Poʻoi Pōhiva spoke to us from ʻAtalanga residence in Epsom, Auckland this afternoon and said he has just received a call from his wife confirming the house has been destroyed by fire.

Po’oi said a cousin was staying in the house before the incident happened. No one was injured he added.

Siaoisi and his wife are working in Fiji and he has been scheduled to fly to Tonga to look at the incident, Poʻoi said.

It was not clear what the cause of the fire was.

An attempt to contact Tonga Fire & Emergencies Services was unsuccessful.

Tupou College wins the most golden medals

By
Kaniva Pacific
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PHOTO: Tonga’s 91st Inter Collegiate Athletics Competition. Photo/ Radio & Television Tonga (Face Book)

Tupou College has won the highest number of gold medals while Tupou College won the most medals in total during Tonga’s  91st Inter Collegiate Athletics Competition that ended last Friday.

Tupou College won 27 gold and 64 medals in totals. Tupou High School collected 23 gold and 71 medals in total.

In female events Tupou High School won the most gold medals while Queen Sālote College became 2nd. Tupou High School girls won 19 gold medals while Queen Sālote collected 17 gold medals.

In male events Tonga College became second in winning the highest number of gold medals. They had 17 gold medals.

This year’s competition has been applauded by many after it ended in peace. Police previously warned that if the ongoing fighting between schools did not end, the intercollegiate sports competition would be cancelled.

CLICK here to view the results: Intercollegiate Athletics Competition Results

Sea Princess docks at Nuku’alofa’s Vuna wharf

By
Kaniva Pacific
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The MS Sea Princess docked at Vuna Wharf today and was welcomed by hundreds including cultural groups and local tourist business operators.

The 857 feet (261.2136m) long and 188 feet (57.30240m) height cruise ship brought to the kingdom almost 2000 passengers with 910 crew.

She arrived from Sydney and has departed for Samoa this afternoon.

 

 

 

Haveluloto man charged after u-turn crash

By
Kaniva Pacific
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PHOTO: A bus from Lapaha hit a van after its driver attempted a U-turn on Taufaʻāhau Rd. Photo/Supplied

A 54-year-old man from Haveluloto was charged by Police for careless driving after causing a crash with a bus when he attempted a U-turn in his van on Taufaʻāhau Rd early this week.

The unidentified driver was heading westward along Taufaʻāhau Rd and he was followed by the bus.

The driver of the van took a sudden U-turn before the bus struck, Sia Adams from Police Communication Unit at Longolongo said.

The incident happened at a corner of two roads at Haʻateiho village and the bus was from Lapaha .

No injuries were reported.

Supreme Court jails three Tupou College students over 2013 attack in Tofoa

By
Kalino Latu
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PHOTO: The house in Tofoa that attacked by Tupou College students in 2013. The landlord Kepueli ʻIoane was an ex-student of Tupou College. 

Tonga’s Supreme Court has jailed three Tupou College students for their part in the Tofoa riot in 2013.

Three Tupou College students were sentenced to four-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for their involvement in the attack, which left one man in a coma and another with head injuries.

Sungalu Afuha’amango, 22, was convicted of riotous assembly, attempted arson and damaging a building.

He was sentenced to four and-a-half years’ imprisonment. The court suspended the last  18 months of his sentence.

The court was told Afuha’amango threw a gas cylinder into the house on the night of the attack.

Siosifa Sulunga, 20, and Sitivi Taliai, 20, were convicted of riotous assembly, serious housebreaking and causing grievous bodily harm.

They were sentenced to four and-a-half years’ imprisonment. The last 21 months of their sentence have been suspended.

Afuha’amango, Sulunga and Taliai were part of a mob of more than 150 Tupou College students who attacked a house in Tofoa on July 18, 2013.

The house was occupied by a Tonga High school teacher, her children and friends who were students and former students of Tonga College.

The attack left former Tonga College student Taniela Halahuni, 22, in a coma for three months.

Daniel Jr Mahe, 14, received head and other injuries during the attack and was hospitalised for several weeks.

The Crown Prosecutor charged 151 Tupou College students over the attack.

A total of 127 of them pleaded guilty at the Magistrate Court for committing minor offences.

The remaining 24 students were charged with committing serious offences and their cases were heard by the Supreme Court.

All the students who were charged entered the house when the attack took place.

Three other students were charged and convicted of riotous assembly, serious housebreaking and causing serious bodily harm. They were sentenced to two and-a-half years’ imprisonment.

Their sentences were fully suspended on condition that two of them undertake 120 hours of community work, and one 90 hours.

A total of 15 students were convicted of riotous assembly and damaging a building and were sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

Their sentences were suspended on condition that one of them undertake 65 hours of community work and the other 14 undertake 85 hours.

Three students were convicted of simple housebreaking and were discharged without conviction on the condition that they each pay TP$200 compensation to the owner of the damaged house.

In delivering the sentences, the Supreme Court warned that crimes involving school students should never happen again in Tonga.

If it did, the sentences may be more severe.

Legal counsels Tomasi Fakahua and Petunia Tupou represented all the accused.

The main points

  • Tonga’s Supreme Court has jailed three Tupou College students for their part in the Tofoa riot in 2013.
  • They were sentenced to four and-a-half years’ imprisonment for their involvement in the incident, which left one man in a coma and another with head injuries.
  • Afuha’amango, Sulunga and Taliali were part of a mob of more than 150 Tupou College students who attacked a house in Tofoa on July 18, 2013.
  • The three students each had part of their sentences suspended,

For more information

Tupou College Attack Case Adjourned To 2014 In Tonga (PIDP)

24 accused due for sentencing  (Fiji Times/RNZI)

‘Eua Police van lifted out of roadside trees

By
Kaniva Pacific
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PHOTO: ‘Eua Police van is lifted upside down out of roadside trees in ‘Ohonua. Photo/Supplied

A police van has to be lifted out of roadside trees in ‘Ohonua, ‘Eua after it ploughed through the ditch and landed upside down few metres away from the road.

A reliable source has told Kaniva News  the van careered across the road and went through the bushes before it turned and lay bottom-up.

The source said the incident happened close to a convent at ‘Eua’s capital ‘Ohonua.

No injuries were reported.

Police Communication and Media Centre in Nuku’alofa did not respond to our request for comment.

Police Eua v
Police van at ‘Ohonua, ‘Eua has to be lifted out of trees at a roadside after it careered across the road and landed upside down few metres away from the road. Photo/Supplied
Van overturn
‘Eua Police van is lifted upside down after it landed under trees by a roadside at ‘Ohonua. Photo/Supplied

Government wants Royal Commission to investigate Tonga’s passport scandal

By
Kalino Latu
-
PHOTO: Dr Pōhiva Tuʻiʻonetoa

 The Tongan Government wants to establish a Royal Commission to investigate the Tongan passport scandal.

But it must wait for royal assent before the enquiry goes ahead and finances may limit how much it can do.

The Tongan government approved the proposal of a commission on April 15 at the urging of the kingdom’s former Auditor General,  Dr Pohiva Tuʻiʻonetoa.

Dr Tuʻiʻonetoa is now the Police Minister.

The minister did not give the details of the terms of the commission, saying a number of factors had to be considered.

He said setting up a Royal Commission could cost TP$1 million (NZ$656,000) and this would be one factor determining the scope of the inquiry.

Hon. Tuʻiʻonetoa told Kaniva News cabinet’s decision had to be submitted to the Privy Council for royal assent.

He said cabinet believed the commission’s inquiry would help bring many answers to questions that had gone unanswered for years regarding the sale of Tongan passports.

The Tongan passport scandal  

Hon. Tu’i’onetoa told Kaniva News  last year that a passport scandal allegedly involving the Prime Minister’s office in 2014 was one of  the two biggest he had come across in the past three years.

His claim came after audited documents leaked to New Zealand media, including Kaniva News, showed a table headed “Summary of holders of ordinary passport with no naturalisation certificate during audit period”.

A list of 12 Chinese nationals was then displayed  in the table.

The documents also noted that when the auditor asked the Immigration Department to explain why Chinese nationals were being given Tongan passports without holding naturalisation certificate as the law requires, he was told “the direction was given from higher authority.”

 No law

When the Auditor’s office urged the Attorney General to charge the people involved, his office said they could not do anything because there was no law that could be used to launch a prosecution.

Tongan passports were issued illegally to Asians in the 1980s. In 1999 the sale of the Tongan passports was stopped, with the government saying it had sold almost 7000 passports to Asians for almost US$40 million (TP277 million/NZ$181 million).

The termination of the sales came after ‘Akilisi Pohiva, who was then an opposition Parliamentarian, launched a lawsuit against the government for selling the passports. The government then changed the kingdom’s constitution to allow the sale.

The then king, King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, decided the money needed to be invested overseas, saying that if it was deposited in Tonga “the government would only spend it on roads.”

The money was invested in a number of overseas funds at the suggestion of financial adviser Jesse Bogdonoff, a former Bank of America official who had been named as the king’s jester. In still disputed circumstances, most of the money that had been invested in the Tongan Trust Fund was lost.

The main points

  • The Tongan Government wants to establish a Royal Commission to investigate the Tongan passport scandal.
  • But it must wait for royal assent before the enquiry goes ahead and finances may limit how much it can do.
  • The Tongan government approved the proposal of a commission on April 15 at the urging of the kingdom’s former Auditor General, Dr Pohiva Tuʻiʻonetoa.
  • Tuʻiʻonetoa told Kaniva News the inquiry would help bring many answers to questions that had gone unanswered for years regarding the sale of Tongan passports.

For more information

Tongan PM caught up in probe into passport irregularities (TVNZ)

Tonga justice minister warns officials over leaks on passport scandal (RNZI)

Why Corruption Must Cease (Pacific Institute of Public Policy

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