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King to appoint Prime Minister-elect and Cabninet next week

By
Kalino Latu
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The King is scheduled to appoint the Prime Minister-elect and members of the new Cabinet in a formal ceremony next week.

Prime Minister-elect Dr ‘Aisake Valu Eke

The Prime Minister Designate Dr ‘Aisake Eke confirmed this to Kaniva News this morning but did not provide the exact date.

He said the king is expected to arrive in Tonga this weekend before the appointments.

The news follows the extension of the current caretaker government arrangements under Acting Prime Minister Samiu Vaipulu until the king appoints the new Cabinet.

It is understood the Prime Minister-elect was in New Zealand last week, and he was expected to meet the king.     

The new government is facing heightened public expectations as citizens look for positive changes and accountability, especially after the serious accusations of corruption and mismanagement that were levelled against the previous administration of Hu’akavameiliku.

Many people are eager to see reforms and transparency in governance, hoping that the new leadership will address the issues that plagued the former government and restore trust in public institutions.

In response to the various allegations surrounding his administration, former Honorable Hu’akavameiliku expressed a willingness to face any legal actions that may arise.

He emphasized that he is open to pursuing legal avenues in order to clear his name and demonstrate the integrity of his government.

As we previously reported, a leaked document purported to show Dr Eke’s preliminary new Cabinet ministers and to-do list, seen by Kaniva News, showed that all Ministries must be reviewed and reported within the new administration’s first month.

As we reported last week, MP Dr ‘Uhilamoelangi Fasi, a supporter of Dr Eke, alleged that he had access to alarming claims about evidence of dishonesty within government ministries.  

He particularly mentioned the Ministry of Education.

Bank told to reimburse $30,000 after scammer impersonates staff

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Susan Edmunds of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

A woman who was caught by a scammer who made it look as if his phone number was the same as her bank’s is to be reimbursed the $30,000 she lost.

The Banking Ombudsman looked into her case in December.

She received a call from someone who said he worked for her bank and had identified some unusual transactions in her accounts.

He said he would suspend her internet banking and cancel payments and she would receive codes for these actions, which she should read out to him.

She checked the number he was calling from and it matched the number on the bank’s website, so she followed his instructions.

But she became suspicious when he said he needed to move her money to a safe account. She called the bank and found it was a scam.

The man had taken $30,000 from her credit card and had tried another large payment that had been blocked.

She spent an hour-and-a-half on the phone explaining what happened. Bank staff arranged to replace her credit cards and suspended her internet banking.

After getting off the phone to the bank, the woman called the Auckland outlet where the scammer had made purchases but the goods had been picked up 15 minutes earlier.

The merchant would not agree to return the money because the goods had gone.

The woman asked the bank to reimburse her because she had not authorised the payments.

“She also said the bank might have prevented the loss if it had acted promptly when taking their fraud report and trying to recover the money,” Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden said.

“The bank refused her request, saying she had shared the text code used to authorise the payment – an action that was in breach of the bank’s terms and conditions. Nonetheless, it offered to reimburse half of the loss.

“[She] said the bank’s basis for declining her request – that she had shared the codes – was unfair because the bank had asked [her husband] to do the very same thing itself – to read out a code sent to him via text message [when it was setting up two-factor authentication for him].”

The Banking Ombudsman noted the code of banking practice requires banks to reimburse unauthorised transactions unless a customer has acted negligently or dishonestly, failed to take reasonable steps to protect his or her banking or breached the bank’s terms and conditions.

Sladden said the woman had taken reasonable care because she checked the number the call came from was the bank’s.

“It had appeared to be so, but the scammer had spoofed the number, that is, falsified the number displayed on her phone’s caller ID.”

The scammer “skillfully mimicked” the way that real banks interacted with customers.

The messages accompanying codes did not warn against sharing them, and the explanation the scammer gave for resharing the codes was sufficiently close to their true purpose to trick a real person. The woman had hung up and called the bank as soon as she became suspicious about the caller’s real identity.

“In addition, we had concerns with how the bank had handled their fraud report, and thought that better handling could have resulted in the loss being prevented.”

It was recommended the bank reimburse $30,000 plus $1000 for delays in handling the case.

Sladden said it was a sophisticated bank impersonation case.

She said bank impersonation cases were almost a quarter of all the fraud and scam cases received this financial year.

Person dies after rescue from Coromandel cliff

By
Kaniva Staff
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By 1news.co.nz and is republished with permission

Police have confirmed two people who fell, one fatally, from a Coromandel cliff on Saturday night were both under 18.

Police confirmed this afternoon that the victims were both under 18 when asked by RNZ.

Emergency services were called to Hahei Beach about 8.15pm on Saturday and a person was located at the bottom of the cliff face in a critical condition, however, they later died at the scene, police said.

Another person was trapped on the cliff but uninjured and later rescued by a Fire and Emergency Lines Rescue Team.

St John said it sent one first response unit, one ambulance and one helicopter to the scene.

Hahei Beach is south east of Whitianga, and a popular Coromandel Peninsula summer holiday destination.

The death will be referred to the coroner.

The Department of Conservation said the track was not one of the department’s.

DOC spokesperson Michelle Lewis said the track in Hahei is not a DoC track and the department is deeply saddened by the fatality.

Tim Bright, skipper for Coromandel tour boat Hahei Explorer, said the landscape was very rocky.

“[There is] kind of dense bush at the top of the cliff, so if you were going through it you’d only be able to see maybe a metre, two metres in front of you at a time,” he told RNZ.

“The rocks themselves are fairly crumbly, so yeah you don’t want to go too close to the cliff edges.”

Bright said there was signage around the cliffs of Cathedral Cove to warn trampers to keep to the path.

“The track to Cathedral Cove, that’s totally safe and if you stay on the track you’re fine.

“There are track signs saying, you know, stick to the track. There is a track from the Cathedral Cove lookout back down to the beach, but that has been closed by DOC (the Department of Conservation) with multiple fences, signs, everything like that.”

A difficult weekend

Thames-Coromandel mayor Len Salt said it had been a difficult weekend, with a fatal fall near Hahei on Saturday night and a scrub fire further north at Kūaotunu.

Salt said while locals were hurting, the region’s volunteer fire brigades were well-equipped to deal with these sorts of events.

“Our communities are pretty resilient to dealing with these sort of things, particularly things like when we get weather events and fire events.

“It’s an area that’s got a lot of bush, a lot of rural and mountainous terrain in certain places which can make it difficult to get to.”

Salt said the council remained ready to assist emergency services as required.

“There’s a little bit of a south-east wind blowing up on the hill there, it is quite strong but down on sea level it’s not so we’re hoping the wind will die out again this afternoon and it’s supposed to swing around to the north-east so we’re just monitoring that as well.”

However, Salt said the fatality near Hahei Beach was top of mind.

“Our thoughts are with the family and whānau of the person who’s tragically lost their life,” Salt said.

“As a council, we’re being guided by [the emergency services] and we’re available to help if there’s anything they need.”

Salt said the walking tracks in the area were popular with locals and visitors alike and were generally safe, but people did need to take care.

“It’s not an area that we would recommend people go into after dark because they need to keep themselves safe and if they can’t see where they’re going, there can be heightened risks… there are a lot of challenging tracks and steep paths there that people need to be really cautious of.”

Insurer refuses ‘payout’ for Lulutai Airlines’ leased Saab 340B aircraft which crashed at Fua‘amotu airport: Owner claims

By
Kalino Latu
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An insurer has allegedly denied a payout for the aircraft leased by Lulutai Airlines, which had crashed at Fua’amotu Airport in December 2023

Lulutai Airline Saab 340 aircraft that slid off the runway at Tonga’s Fua’amotu airport on Friday. 8 December 2023. Photo / Facebook

The QBE Insurance reportedly maintained that the aircraft could be repaired and would only provide financial compensation if the repairs were carried out as a prerequisite.

The aircraft was heading to the terminal after reportedly experiencing an undesired landing before hitting a cement block on the side of the apron. Following this incident, the plane was rendered inoperative and could not resume normal flight operations.

The Director of the Monte Aircraft Leasing, Tom Frank, told Kaniva News they allegedly owned the Saab 340B aircraft. 

He claimed QBE Insurance insured the aircraft since the commencement of the Lulutai lease in July 2020.  

Frank said: “We believe that the aircraft is a constructive loss and Lulutai and Monte have been seeking a payout from QBE for most of this year.   

“However QBE have refused the payout, claiming that the aircraft is repairable and only offering to pay only a small portion of the insured value. 

He said this has caused a huge amount of damage to Tonga’s people, economy, and to Monte’s business.   

“Lulutai and we are continuing to press QBE but more than 12 months after the incident there is still no resolution”. 

We asked Frank how much Lulutai paid for the lease and whether the airlines is still paying the lease while the aircraft is inoperative. We also asked if we can get a copy of the lease agreement.

He said he could not release this information to us, citing confidentiality.  

The revelations follow a recent report by Kaniva News, which raised questions about the aircraft’s insurance status.  

The article asked whether the aircraft was indeed insured and, if so, why it had been taking approximately 12 months without any replacement being provided.  

In this article, we said we had asked Lulutai CEO Poasi Tei for comment, but he has yet to respond.  

The aircraft 

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) were in Tongan early last year to assist the Civil Aviation Division’s Chief Investigator’s ongoing investigation of the accident involving the SAAB340 aircraft.  

It follows with a report that the Minister for Infrastructure received an update on the status of the Preliminary Report.  

As Kaniva News reported previously, the preliminary report showed several mechanical issues the aircraft had experienced, including hydraulic fuel loss and other safety problems.   

The report also indicated signs that the aircraft’s flight recorder may have been deliberately disabled.  

Unverified footage emerged after Nakolo death  sparks curiosity

By
Kalino Latu
-

An unverified video circulating on Facebook has garnered significant attention from the Tongan online community. 

‘Esilani Latu

The footage, seen by Kaniva News, purportedly depicted an unsettling incident where one man is seen being overpowered by another while allegedly being coerced into speaking against his will.  

In the 10-second video clip, one man appears physically dominating the victim, who seems visibly distressed, resistant and screaming. 

An individual is overheard asking questions of the victim, though the content of his words is unclear due to the video’s poor audio quality. 

Kaniva News was unable to verify the authenticity of the footage.  

The video evoked emotional responses from viewers, prompting speculation about the possible motives behind this act, leading to many theories online.  

On the most extreme end, some commenters suggested, without evidence, that the video was purported to show the last moments before a young man from the village of Nakolo died last month.  

Police report  

That person, according to a previous Police statement, was identified as 21-year-old ‘Esilani Latu of Nakolo.

Latu allegedly died from his injuries, which police had described at the time as being consistent with being struck by a vehicle.  

His body was found on Hala Liku Road between Nakolo and Fua’amotu. 

The Police statement said a post-mortem report confirmed that the young man was run over by a car. 

However, the police were not so sure if this was the cause of death.  

They said the report also showed other injuries that may have been inflicted elsewhere.

The deceased was allegedly under the influence of alcohol. 

As we reported at the time, a man who identified himself in a live-streamed video as an alleged witness appealed to the public on Facebook.

The live-streamer, who goes by the name Vee Town, urged a vehicle driver, who he believes might be aware of the incident, to come forward.  

Vee Town said that he was intoxicated and seated in the back of the vehicle as a passenger when they appeared to have stumbled upon the scene.   

Person of interest 

Meanwhile, the Police previously said they had identified a person of interest who was driving but had since left for New Zealand. 

They confiscated a vehicle that the driver was operating. 

The driver, a New Zealand resident, was scheduled to leave for New Zealand on the same day the incident occurred, the Police said.  

One dead in water-related incident near Mt Wellington, Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
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By 1News Reporters

A man has died after a water-related incident off the coast of Auckland’s Mount Wellington today.

Police at incident scene.
Police at incident scene. (Source: 1News)

Police said it responded to the incident at about 3.45pm following reports of a body floating in the water.

“The deceased has since been removed from the water,” police said.

“The death will be referred to the Coroner.”

Lavish dream wedding in Auckland ends in court

By
Kaniva Staff
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A Tongan woman has been sentenced to community detention for stealing almost $61,164 from a Waitakere business to fund her planned lavish wedding. 

Former Briscoes employee Mele Hala stands before Judge Maria Pecotic in the Waitākere District Court, where she was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to swindling the retail store out of over $62,000 via fake returns. Photo / Craig Kapitan

Mele Hala’s impending marriage led her to commit the crime since 2022.  

The court was told Hala had an engagement on New Year’s Day 2022 but her partner then lost his job, putting significant financial pressure on both, according to a report by the New Zealand Herald.  

The judge, however, noted that Hala and her fiancé split in April 2023. The offending didn’t stop until she was caught in May 2023. 

“The financial pressures on you for your wedding are really no different from others,” the judge said. “How you chose to deal with it is simply inappropriate.” 

The court heard that Hala was employed at Briscoes Westgate in a role that involved handling purchase and refund transactions when she started exploiting the position for personal gain in August 2022, reported the Herald. 

On 26 separate occasions between then and May the following year she created fraudulent refund transactions – making up names and emails of pretend refund customers then funnelling a total of $61,164 into her own bank account. 

When averaged out, that equated to the pilfering of almost $7000 per month before she was caught, the judge noted. 

Hala admitted the scheme to her employer and lost her job after the company completed an internal investigation, court documents state. But she declined to make a formal police statement. 

She was charged a year later with obtaining by deception. 

That charge, along with theft by a person in a special relationship, are among the most common charges for those accused of stealing from their employers. Both carry punishments of up to seven years’ imprisonment. 

Defence lawyer Jenny Verry said her client had come to court with $2000 that she was able to use as a lump sum reparation payment before paying a further $100 per week.

“She has made every effort to get rid of every other debt so she can focus on this reparation,” the defence lawyer said, adding that her client had tried to get a loan to cover a larger reparation payment but was unable to obtain it due to the nature of the charges. “She committed to doing that [paying the money back].”

Father convicted of ‘serious indecent assault’ against daughter in Tonga  

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A father who fondled and sucked his daughter’s breasts has been convicted by the Nuku’alofa Supreme Court.  

He has permanent name suppression to protect the identity of his daughter. 

He pleaded not guilty to two counts of serious indecent assaults.  

However, the Lord Chief Justice Malcolm Bishop said he had no doubt the defendant committed the crimes against her daughter’s consent.  

The court heard the complainant stated that on one occasion during the summer, the Defendant returned from a session of drinking Kava and returned to their property while the complainant was asleep.  

They shared the same bed.  

She woke up to find the defendant “massaging both my breasts” and sucking them.  

“He then pulled down my shirt and slept next to me,” read the court document. 

 She said she kept quiet because she was afraid.  

The defendant claimed that these allegations were made up because of a disagreement between himself and the complainant about how she should conduct her life.

He also alleged that the allegations against him were engineered by his estranged wife, who was jealous of his new partner.  

He said he wanted the complainant to return to school and give up the inappropriate relationship she was having with her boyfriend and others. 

The Lord Chief Justice did not buy it, saying he trusted that the young girl was honest and straightforward.  

“She did not exaggerate, she accepted that she had shown affection to the complainant her father. She did not excuse her behaviour about not going to school, about absconding and going to live with her boyfriend, nor was her evidence in my judgement animated by anything other than a resigned acceptance that she must tell the truth. This is what in my view she did”, Mr Bishop said.  

He found the defendant guilty of both counts of serious indecent assaults.   

“I further order that nothing which leads to the identity of the complainant must be published and any report of these proceedings must anonymise all parties so that the identity of the complainant is protected pursuant to s119 of the Criminal Offences Act”. 

Trump says Putin meeting being set up to end ‘bloody mess’ of Ukraine war

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Alexander Smith, NBC News

The Kremlin said Friday that it welcomed the president-elect’s willingness to talk and that there would likely be progress on the subject after he is sworn in later this month.

Donald Trump,Vladimir Putin

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Finland in 2018. Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP file

President-elect Donald Trump said late Thursday that a meeting is being arranged with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, a summit that would be eyed anxiously by Ukraine and its other Western allies.

“President Putin wants to meet” and “we are setting it up,” Trump told a news briefing at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. “We have to get that war over with. That’s a bloody mess.”

Trump has previously suggested he would seek to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, now approaching the three-year mark, within 24 hours of assuming office.

Russia says it is open to to dialogue and diplomacy — although critics say that in reality its proposals amount to little more than a Ukrainian surrender. 

“President Putin has repeatedly stated his openness to contacts with international leaders, including the U.S. president, including with Donald Trump,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.  “No conditions are required for this, what is required is a mutual desire and political will to conduct a dialogue.”

Peskov said Trump’s overtures were “welcome” but added there were “no specifics” on dates. “After Mr. Trump assumes office, there will be some developments.”

Ukraine knows that while many inside the country are alarmed at Trump’s stance, its relationship with the White House is nonetheless essential in its territorial future and sovereignty.

It said Friday it was “waiting for a meeting between our presidents because for us the main thing is to work together with America,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi told reporters in Kyiv. It said it was “preparing for contacts at the highest and high levels immediately after the inauguration.”

Ukraine Russia War
A military-themed mural decorates the wall of a residential building in the town of Petushki, Russia on Friday.Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP via Getty Images

While Ukraine would be unlikely to criticize Trump directly, its officials have chided other world leaders for engaging with Putin. “Conversations with the Russian dictator as such do not add any value to the pursuit of a just peace,” Tykhyi posted to X in November, referring to a call between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the the Russian leader.

Putin has indicated he will not accept any diplomatic end to the war without Ukraine agreeing to cede huge swathes of territory to Moscow. It also wants guarantees Ukraine will never join NATO.

Many in Europe worry Putin could then turn his ambitions to other former Soviet countries, particularly given Trump’s previous record of undermining the NATO alliance under which these Westernized states have been historically protected.

“We want peace, but peace through strength,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a speech last month.

Kyiv is currently suffering battlefield setbacks as Russian troops steadily advance through the frozen fields of its eastern heartlands, with Moscow claiming to have captured the front-line town of Kurakhove this week.

Kyiv has also launched its own new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, possibly to strengthen its hand in future talks.

Russia Ukraine Military Operation Artillery Units
Russian servicemen fire rockets towards Ukrainian positions near Lyman on Dec. 25.Stanislav Krasilnikov / Sputnik via AP

Trump has more recently relaxed his 24-hour ambitions, saying earlier this week that he hoped to have the conflict solved within “six months.” Keith Kellogg, his appointee for special envoy in the war, separately set the goal of “100 days.”

Still, this is a far remove the strategy of President Joe Biden, who has met Putin only once while in office, at a June 2021 summit in Geneva, otherwise describing him as “a killer” and a “dictator.”

Biden has overseen some $170 billion in aid for Ukraine, telling his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this summer that “we will be with Ukraine until they prevail in this war.”

Zelenskyy says he is grateful for this support, but he and other officials have complained that some of the military aid has been too slow and too little. Trump has suggested it is too much.

Zelenskyy acknowledged Thursday that a “new chapter” was about to begin under Trump, and urged Western allies “not to drop the ball” on supporting Ukraine as a bulwark against Moscow.

Man who inappropriately touched 13-year-old girl received suspension sentence 

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A Tongatapu man who inappropriately touched a girl has been given a suspended sentence. 

Siaosi Fatafehi, 41, was at the complainant’s home, where she was in the kitchen alone with her cousin. 

Fatafehi walked up and stood next to her, stoked her left buttock, and then walked out of the kitchen, causing her to be scared at the time. 

The court document said that his case was serious because he was 41 years old, and the complainant was 13.  

“You have expressed remorse by apologising to the family and making payment to the family, which has been accepted”, the judgement said. 

Sentencing, the Lord Chief Justice said: “I make it clear that no one in this Court can buy their way out of prison, but I accept that what you did was not with that in mind but to expiate what you had done:. 

For one count of serious indecent assault, the Lord Chief Justice imposed a sentence of six months imprisonment fully suspended on the following conditions:  

a. He must report to the Probation Office within 48 hours from today.  

b. He must not commit any further offence punishable by imprisonment during your suspension period.  

c. He must complete 40 hours of community service within 12 months.  

d. He must complete a course on sexual awareness by the Salvation Army at the direction of the Probation Office. 

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