A woman has reportedly died after a boat overturned in Tonga, according to preliminary reports circulating alongside a video apparently taken at the scene.

The video shows a boat towing another vessel that is upside down in the water.

Reports said the overturned vessel had apparently been launched shortly before the incident occurred. The circumstances surrounding the reported capsize, however, remain unclear.

It is understood that marine authorities were called to the scene following the incident.

A woman was reported to have died, but her death and the circumstances surrounding it have yet to be officially confirmed.

Police have yet to release a statement on the incident.

Kaniva News is seeking further information from the relevant authorities.

This is a developing story and will be updated when official information becomes available.

A Tongan father accused of giving his teenage son the gun allegedly used in a fatal shooting outside a funeral service in Utah has made his first court appearance.

Afuhia Masiu Manatau appeared remotely from the Salt Lake County Jail on Tuesday following his arrest over the August 17 shooting in Kearns, FOX 13 News reported.

Manatau has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Vilisoni Angilau.

His 17-year-old son, Taitusi Kai Manatau, has also been charged with murder.

According to FOX 13 News, authorities allege Manatau gave his son the firearm following an altercation between Taitusi and Angilau outside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stake center.

Taitusi allegedly shot and killed Angilau.

Angilau’s twin brother then managed to take possession of the gun and allegedly used it to shoot and injure Taitusi.

The twin brother was subsequently struck by gunfire after either Taitusi or his father allegedly regained possession of the weapon, FOX 13 reported.

Taitusi and Angilau’s twin brother were both taken to hospital in critical condition.

Authorities allege Manatau and two other people then placed his injured son in a minivan and drove away before being stopped several blocks from the scene.

In addition to the murder charge, Manatau faces multiple counts of felony discharge of a firearm, assault and obstruction of justice.

Taitusi faces murder, two counts of felony discharge of a firearm and one count of obstruction of justice.

During Tuesday’s brief appearance, the court scheduled Manatau’s detention hearing and scheduling conference before Judge Patrick Corum for September 11.

Source: FOX 13 News, Salt Lake City.

Several Tongan pickleball players were unable to compete in an international tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah, after their United States visa applications were denied amid tighter US entry restrictions on Tongan nationals.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported the players had planned to join Team Kalia, an international pickleball club comprising players from Tonga, New Zealand and Australia, for a tournament against the predominantly Polynesian Die Hard Pickleballerz in Salt Lake City.

Team Kalia president Johnny Hafoka said eight players from Tonga were able to attend this year’s tournament, compared with 20 last year.

Those who made the trip were players who already held valid multiple-entry US visas and had previously travelled to the country.

The difficulties come as the Trump administration has tightened US entry and visa restrictions affecting Tongan nationals.

The US began partially restricting entry and visa issuance for Tongans in January, citing high rates of visa overstays. Tonga was the only Pacific island country included in the restrictions.

Tonga was also added to the US State Department’s visa-bond programme on January 21.

Under the programme, some Tongan visitors applying for US visas can be required to pay a bond of US$5,000, US$10,000 or US$15,000 before receiving a visa, with the amount determined during the visa interview.

Hafoka said some players could not afford the bond and were therefore unable to make the trip.

Those who successfully travelled to Salt Lake City also faced scrutiny at the border.

Team Kalia coach Tosilani Sanft, who is from Tonga, told The Salt Lake Tribune he was questioned by US officials for about four hours after arriving at the airport.

Sanft said officials questioned his identity and reason for travelling and took his cellphone for inspection.

He said that even after explaining he had travelled to the US to play pickleball, the questioning continued, leaving him feeling officials were trying to get him to say he had come to work.

The tournament went ahead at Glendale Park with support from Salt Lake City’s large Tongan and Pacific Island community.

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial – A Supreme Court judge’s recent decision to scrutinise a medical certificate and seek clarification from the doctor who issued it raises an important question for Tonga’s justice system: should courts make it standard practice to independently verify medical evidence that excuses a defendant from appearing or could halt proceedings?

The judge’s intervention is particularly significant given some recent court outcomes involving defendants with reported mental-health conditions that have surprised members of the Tongan community. Some people who claimed to know the defendants have questioned on social media whether they were genuinely mentally incapacitated.

While community perceptions cannot be used to disqualify medical evidence, they should not be dismissed entirely in serious cases in a small and closely connected society such as Tonga. In a community where people are highly visible and interdependent, people’s knowledge of one another’s behaviour and conduct inevitably shapes public perceptions, and controversial court decisions can easily undermine confidence in the justice system.

The Tongan community is characterised by nofo ʻa kāinga, a closely interconnected social system in which people, including those in positions of authority, are bound by relationships and expectations of mutual assistance. Within this system, helping one another is regarded as a normal social obligation, even in circumstances where such assistance could potentially conflict with legal or institutional responsibilities.

While we cannot discuss certain cases in detail for legal reasons, the Ministry of Justice and the courts should be able to identify them from their records. These include several high-profile drug cases and cases in which people were reportedly recommended for release from prison on medical grounds because their illness was considered incurable, yet, several years later, remain actively involved in community activities. Although this does not necessarily invalidate the original medical assessment, it may understandably raise questions within the community.

Such cases have long been the subject of mockery within the community. Public scepticism has become so entrenched that, when serious criminal cases come before the courts, some people cynically joke that the accused need only obtain a medical certificate declaring them mentally incapacitated to avoid standing trial.

This is where making independent verification standard practice becomes particularly important: it would protect the credibility of both the justice and health systems by ensuring that medical evidence affecting serious court proceedings has been properly scrutinised, leaving less room for public doubt when court outcomes appear inconsistent with community perceptions.

Standardising Medical Evidence Verification

A good standard practice would be to routinely verify any medical certificate or other medical evidence that materially affects court proceedings, while requiring an independent medical assessment or second opinion where the seriousness or circumstances of a case warrant additional scrutiny.

A second opinion from an overseas medical authority, including an appropriately qualified specialist in New Zealand, should also be considered where the consequences are particularly significant, or the necessary specialist expertise is unavailable in Tonga.

Tonga has previously relied on New Zealand medical and laboratory authorities for independent verification, including the retesting of suspected COVID-19 cases.

Although psychiatric assessments are different, this demonstrates that seeking external expertise is not unusual when additional certainty or specialist assessment is required.

Judicial Follow-Up Sets Example

The law may already allow courts to scrutinise medical certificates, but the Supreme Court’s recent decision to contact the issuing doctor directly provides a practical example of why courts should take a second look at medical evidence when it could materially affect proceedings.

Justice Paul Garlick KC recently sought clarification from a doctor about a certificate submitted during the electoral bribery case involving former Infrastructure and Tourism Minister Sēmisi Sika.

Sika requested an adjournment during cross-examination, citing fatigue. When the court reconvened, a medical certificate was submitted stating that he had returned home after feeling unwell.

As Kaniva News previously reported, Justice Garlick was concerned that the certificate did not specify Sika’s illness. A staff member claimed in court the minister had recorded high blood pressure, but the judge noted that this was not stated in the certificate.

The judge reportedly attempted to contact the issuing doctor for clarification. The proceedings ultimately continued, with Sika participating from home by Zoom.

The case did not involve a claim of mental incapacity. Nevertheless, the judge’s approach demonstrated an important principle: courts are not required to accept an unclear medical certificate without asking reasonable questions. The importance of such scrutiny extends beyond the individual case to public confidence in the justice system.

Justice Garlick’s action may not constitute a binding legal precedent, but it offers a valuable example. Tonga’s courts should adopt a consistent practice of closely examining medical evidence whenever it could determine whether an accused person remains answerable before the law.

Tonga Police have confirmed that a 17-year-old boy from Fuaʻamotu died in a suspected suicide on Monday, 31 August.

Police announced the death in a statement released this afternoon.

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death remains ongoing, and no further details have been released.

“Tonga Police extend sincere condolences to the deceased’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the statement said.

Tributes are flowing for 42-year-old Tevita Napa’a after friends and kāinga identified him on social media as the man whose death in Tofoa led to the arrest of a 23-year-old man.

Tonga Police did not name the deceased when announcing the arrest on Monday, identifying him only as a 42-year-old man from Tofoa.

However, following the announcement, friends and kāinga began sharing Napa’a’s name and photographs on social media while posting emotional tributes and messages of condolence.

The posts have brought a personal face to the death initially reported by Kaniva News without the victim’s identity because it had not been publicly released at the time.

Friends and kāinga expressed shock and sadness at Napa’a’s death, while others offered prayers and condolences to his family.

One friend remembered Napa’a as a kind and friendly person who was well known among those around him, describing his death as difficult to comprehend.

Another tribute expressed shock at his sudden death, saying the news had brought deep sadness and that he would be greatly missed by his friends and loved ones.

A member of his kāinga recalled Napa’a with affection, reflecting on the memories they had shared and the pain of knowing they would no longer see him among family and friends.

Another mourner offered condolences to Napa’a’s family and kāinga, praying that they would find strength and comfort as they grieved their loss.

Arrest and investigation

As previously reported by Kaniva News, Tonga Police said the suspect had been arrested in connection with Napa’a’s death.

Police said the accused was originally from Vaini but was living in Tofoa at the time of the incident.

Police have not released details about the circumstances surrounding Napa’a’s death or said whether the two men knew each other.

The suspect remains in police custody and is scheduled to appear in court.

Police have also not publicly disclosed what charge, if any, has been laid against him.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Tonga’s Auditor-General identified a TOP$277.86 million discrepancy in government asset records and blamed “major malpractice of executive management” for overriding procurement controls in transactions worth more than TOP$6 million.

The findings are contained in the Tonga Office of the Auditor-General’s Financial and Compliance Audit report covering the Government’s financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2023.

The Auditor issued a qualified opinion on the Government’s Public Accounts because of longstanding problems involving property, plant and equipment.

“The complete accountability and effective management of all government assets are a major long-outstanding issue,” the report said.

It identified a TOP$277,864,226 difference between the Government’s updated fixed-asset registers and the accumulated balance recorded in its Sun-System accounting platform.

The discrepancy does not necessarily mean that TOP$277.86 million in public assets was stolen or missing. It means the Government’s two sets of records differed by that amount and the Auditor could not obtain sufficiently reliable information to confirm the complete and accurate value of public assets.

The Ministry of Finance was counting assets and reconfirming the fixed-asset registers maintained by individual ministries, the report said.

No complete asset register

The Auditor found that the Government still did not have a complete fixed-asset register covering all public assets.

There was also no depreciation policy to account for the declining value of assets over time, meaning the recorded balance represented amounts accumulated over many years.

The report said risk-management work relating to government financial records and the preparation of the Public Accounts had “yet to start” and remained in a similar position to the previous year.

Evaluation of the Government’s internal-control environment was also outstanding, with the Auditor calling for a more proactive internal-audit function that included physically checking transactions.

The Auditor raised 44 issues with the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance, including matters carried forward from previous financial years.

‘Major malpractice’ in procurement

In a separate and potentially more serious integrity finding, the Auditor reviewed six internal-audit reports prepared by the Ministry of Finance and identified procurement non-compliance involving TOP$6,097,580.09 at the Ministry of Infrastructure.

The transactions involved projects including roadside drain cleaning, road sealing and widening, coral delivery and the supply of speaker boxes.

The Auditor found that formal contracts were absent from various projects, raising concerns about accountability, transparency and potential financial risks.

The Ministry of Infrastructure was also found to have used unauthorised rates.

“This deviation from approved rates is a potential breach of procurement regulations and raises concerns about the fairness and value for money in these transactions,” the report said.

The Auditor attributed the breaches to executive management overriding the Government’s internal controls and regulated procurement procedures.

“The above instances always occurred from major malpractice of executive management [which] over-ruled the system of internal control and regulated procedures,” it said.

The report did not identify the executives involved or state whether anyone had been investigated or disciplined.

Ministry gives brief response

The Auditor recommended that procurement requirements be strictly enforced before public payments were processed.

It said the Ministry of Finance should check transactions carefully, reject non-compliant payments and hold the officers responsible for identified breaches accountable.

The ministry’s recorded response was brief.

“We note the concern, and we will look at how best [to] address this,” it said.

The report does not indicate whether the TOP$6.1 million represented a financial loss, nor does it conclude that corruption occurred.

However, the absence of formal contracts, use of unauthorised rates and alleged overriding of procurement controls create serious risks of waste, favouritism and misuse of public money.

Related-party controls absent

The Auditor also found that the Ministry of Finance had not established procedures to identify and disclose related-party transactions across government ministries.

Such procedures are intended to reveal transactions involving people or entities capable of exercising control or significant influence over government financial and operational decisions.

The Auditor said the required disclosures should identify related parties, transactions involving them and compensation provided to key management personnel, including non-cash benefits.

The issue remained outstanding from an earlier audit.

Unsigned multimillion-dollar loan

The report also said a loan agreement worth TOP$6,761,247 between the Government and City Assets, formerly known as Molisi Tonga, had yet to be signed.

The Auditor described it as a long-outstanding matter and recommended that the Ministry of Finance take immediate action to resolve it.

Other continuing problems included operational grants paid to third parties without signed agreements, undisclosed third-party payments made on the Government’s behalf and weaknesses in recording externally funded projects.

Salary overpayments also remained unresolved. Of TOP$144,507.28 in overpayments recorded, only TOP$51,049.42 had been recovered, leaving TOP$93,457.86 outstanding.

A further TOP$42,926.70 was considered irrecoverable because some employees had retired or been dismissed, or because officials were advised too late that staff members had taken study leave without pay.

The audit findings do not establish that public money was stolen. However, they reveal longstanding weaknesses in the systems intended to identify government assets, control spending, enforce procurement rules and hold public officials accountable.