Tongatapu 7 MP Piveni Piukala allegedly exchanged words with his accuser’s supporters during a court appearance this morning.
Hon Piukala appeared at the Nuku’alofa Supreme Court after he was charged with electoral fraud.
Paula Piveni Piukala
It is understood Hon Piukala has submitted a response against his charges and told the court ‘there was no case to answer’.
Piukala’s political companion and supporter Kelekolio Tapueluelu claimed the tension this morning began after Piukala entered the court and made references to his accuser and their supporters.
Tapueluelu said the accuser’s supporters responded before a man allegedly stood up and walked towards Hon Piukala.
Tapueluelu said that at one stage he subdued the man by holding his hand.
The Ministry of Justice could not be reached for comment.
The fraud charge allegations against Piukala are related to his successful campaigns in Tongatapu 7 during Tonga’s November parliamentary by-election campaigns.
The allegations included bribing voters.
Piukala won the by-election after he successfully sued former Tongatapu 7 MP Sangstar Saulala over electoral bribery. As a result, the Supreme Court declared Saulala’s election void in August.
The petition against Piukala was filed by a Tongatapu 7 rival constituent, Feleti Ulakai.
A Police Emergency Services team persuaded a man who had threatened to jump from a tower at Vaiola hospital on Friday to step back.
Photos seen by Kaniva News showed what appeared to be tearful relatives of the man standing together and were trying to calm each other. Some of them tried to attract the attention of the man.
The man, who was not identified, had finally agreed to climb down with the help of some Police officers. He was taken to the hospital’s psychiatric centre unharmed for evaluation.
An evaluation report is expected to be released to the media, the Ministry of Health told Kaniva News.
Many concerned people took to social media in an attempt to find out what was going on.
One person on Facebook wrote: “What happened?”
Another asked: “Why are the Police Emergency Services officers attending the scene?”
A third person wrote: “Thanks that he is being saved and rescued?”
Thousands are without power, while some people in Coromandel and Gisborne are already starting to evacuate, and Auckland Council is closing all non-essential services Monday and Tuesday.
Power company Vector said there were widespread power outages, especially in exposed areas across north Auckland.
It said about 15,000 customers were without power at 7pm.
“This number will change constantly as we restore homes and businesses but, with the weather due to worsen, we expect further outages overnight and tomorrow.”
Northpower has also been working to restore power in the Whāngarei area, writing on Facebook that “cyclone winds have caused major damage to the network, much of it from trees falling through lines.”
Auckland Council has said it will close all non-essential services across the region on Monday and Tuesday, including libraries, community centres, early childhood education centres, and active recreation centres.
The Auckland Harbour Bridge has been closed due to high winds and will remain closed overnight.
All Auckland train services have also been cancelled tonight, and KiwiRail has closed operations on the top half of the North Island until at least 3pm tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Coromandel Civil Defence controller Garry Towler says six evacuation centres will be open 24-7 while another 12 to 15 community-led centres are on standby to open if required.
An emergency alert text was sent to all people on the peninsula this afternoon.
Towler says most people appear to be heeding the warning, as traffic leaving the region is heavy. He’s advising people to go to family or friends.
Earlier, Northland declared a precautionary state of emergency for an initial period of seven days.
Speaking at today’s official update, MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said even with significant wind gusts in Northland already being reported, the weather today was just the start.
She said they had not seen pressure this low in 40 years.
Much of Auckland will be closed on Monday as Cyclone Gabrielle storms through the motu.
Auckland Airport has prepared itself for further flooding and has sandbags waiting. The airport was severely affected during Auckland’s January deluge. Photo: RNZ / Jonty Dine
Auckland Council will close all non-essential services across the region on Monday and Tuesday, as the region prepares for Cyclone Gabrielle.
The non-essential services affected include libraries, community centres, early childhood education centres, and active recreation centres.
Only critical services, such as building assessments, will take place.
Essential services, such as contact centres and cemeteries, will remain open.
Aucklanders are being urged to stay home if possible on Monday and Tuesday.
The Auckland Harbour Bridge has been closed due to high winds and will remain closed overnight.
The prime minister said earlier today it is up to individuals to decide if they work from home tomorrow as Cyclone Gabrielle moves closer to New Zealand.
Chris Hipkins said people should continue to minimise non-essential travel as the country heads into the working week.
“I think the message at the moment is minimise the traffic on the roads as much as possible.
“People can make their own decisions about that, but if they’re in a position to work from home, yes, they can do that.”
The InterCity bus network has cancelled three day-time services today and overnight services between Auckland and Wellington tonight and tomorrow as a precaution.
KiwiRail has decided to proactively close the rail network in the top half of the North Island on Sunday night, until at at least 3pm Monday.
KiwiRail said commuter trains in Auckland, the Northern Explorer train and the Te Huia train between Auckland and Hamilton will not be running tomorrow.
Rail lines from Auckland to near Marton will also be closed.
While the Ministry of Education hasn’t officially ordered schools to close, most schools in Auckland will be closed Monday and some Tuesday as well.
Please check with your local school directly or via social media to confirm their status before Monday morning.
Very few schools are confirmed to be open, although Auckland Grammar School has said in a statement that they will remain open for on-campus learning tomorrow.
The University of Auckland will also be moving to online exams Monday and Tuesday.
Jury trials in Auckland and Whangārei are being postponed until Wednesday.
Among the other closures are Auckland Zoo, which announced it is closing Sunday afternoon until further notice, and Auckland War Memorial Museum and Auckland Art Gallery, which will be closed Monday. Rainbow’s End amusement park is closed today and Monday.
Kerbside waste collection has also been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday in Auckland.
Multiple Countdown stores are also closing early tonight. Countdown Waitangi, Warkworth, Tikipunga, Regent, Whangārei, Whitianga, Gisborne, Katikati, Kaihohe and Kerikeri are all closing between 7 and 8pm. Countdown Paihia Central has already closed early.
Power outages, downed trees, flooding and empty aisles at supermarkets are some of the early impacts being seen as Cyclone Gabrielle lashes the upper North Island.
At the Onerahi ramp in Whangārei with about an hour to go till high tide. Photo: Supplied/ Adrienne Chubb
Cyclone winds have caused major damage to the Northpower network, much of it from trees falling through lines. Photo: Supplied / Northpower / Facebook
Cyclone winds have caused major damage to the Northpower network, much of it from trees falling through lines. Photo: Supplied / Northpower / Facebook
A damaged power pole near Warkworth. Photo: Supplied / Vector Limited
The sea was surging at Orewa Beach on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Supplied / Chris Newson
Strong winds and a high tide at the north Auckland beach. Photo: Supplied / Chris Newson
One kite surfer was out in the heavy swell at the beach. Photo: RNZ / Rhonwyn Newson
Photo: RNZ / Rhonwyn Newson
Heavy rain from the cyclone caused flooding at Riverside Drive in Northland’s Whangārei. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
Riverside Drive in Northland’s Whangārei. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
In the Far North, trees and powerlines came down, causing an outage to about 1500 properties on Friday morning. Photo: Supplied / Top Energy NZ
Photo: Supplied / Top Energy NZ
In Auckland, crews were working to restore electricity at Karekare on the west coast, in Henderson and pockets of east Auckland and the North Shore.
There were also outages at Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula, Waharoa in Waikato and Inglewood in Taranaki.
Auckland Airport has braced itself for flooding and has sandbags at the ready after being severely affected during January’s deluge. Photo: RNZ / Jonty Dine
Air New Zealand announced international arrivals and departures on Monday would be extremely limited. There are also domestic flight cancellations through to Tuesday.
Essentials were sold out at several supermarkets across Auckland as people prepared for Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: RNZ / Jonty Dine
The bread aisle at St Luke’s Countdown was wiped clean on Sunday morning. Photo: RNZ / Veronica Schmidt
Authorities are reassuring people supermarkets will stay open and urged people not to panic-buy.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins visits Auckland Transport’s operation centre in Takapuna, North Shore as Cyclone Gabrielle makes landfall. Photo: RNZ / Ashleigh McCaull
Today personnel from our New Zealand Army’s 16 Field Regiment assisted in delivering and unloading more than 50 pallets of emergency supplies to the central distribution centre in Auckland ahead of the severe weather from Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Defence Force
Photo: RNZ / Lucy Xia
Satellite imagery of Cyclone Gabrielle on 12 February. Photo: Twitter / NIWA
National Emergency Management Agency message: Cyclone Gabrielle will impact much of the North Island with severe gales, heavy rain and very large waves forecast from today through to Tuesday.
This is expected to be an unprecedented and dangerous weather event.
MetService has issued severe weather warnings for many parts of the North Island.
Keep up to date with MetService weather warnings and advice from your local Civil Defence Emergency Management Group.
Adhere to all advice and instructions from authorities.
Cyclone Gabrielle will also exacerbate the impacts for those communities recovering from recent floods
Avoid travelling during severe weather, and check Waka Kotahi for road closures.
Do what you can to prepare your household for the coming days.
Information about preparing for storms can be found at getready.govt.nz.
Parliament is not paying for any of former Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa’s costs while he is seeking medical treatment in the United States.
The Chief Clerk of the Legislative assembly said Parliament was not responsible for his travel and medical costs.
Speaker Lord Fakafanua. Photo/Fale Alea ‘O Tonga
“The assembly has not paid any travelling allowance, airfare, medical expenses, nor any other expenses incidental to the MP’s travel or his medical treatment being sought,” the Chief Clerk said.
However, he was entitled to continue receiving his basic salary as an MP because he was on approved medical leave and remained a Member of the House.
The statement also denied that Parliament had paid for Hon. Tu’i’onetoa’s treatment in Sydney in 2017. We are willing to accept this statement in good faith.
If that payment was not authorised by Parliament then it would be helpful to clarify under what circumstances it was paid.
Dr Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa. Photo/Kalino Lātū
The Chief Clark reiterated that the former Prime Minister’s extended medical leave had been approved by Parliament by circular, a method which caused some criticism when it was announced.
However, the Chief Clark has explained that a circular is used when decisions have to be made when the House is not sitting.
KEARNS, Utah — Landscaping work: paid for, but not completed.
Jessy Nguyen told KSL Investigators a man named Ofa showed up at his mom’s house last June, offering to do some work. His mom hired Ofa to pour concrete, put in a fence, and do some landscaping work, paying more than $40,000.
Tongan contractor Fe’ofo’aki Ahoafinoa
“He did the work, like he started,” said Nguyen, “but as soon as he got the money, he stopped.”
Nguyen said both he and his mom tried to reach Ofa multiple times to get the job finished, without success.
“He’ll give you a sob story of why he can’t come, and then he just stops answering your calls,” said Nguyen.
Eventually, Nguyen went to West Jordan Police. As he dug into Ofa and his company, Noah Concrete, he found he wasn’t alone in his frustrations.
“The funny thing is, I Googled this guy, and he’s had like five or six different business names,” he said.
KSL Investigators found it wasn’t just different business names, but Ofa goes by several names himself, including Feofaaki Ahoafi, Tevita Ahoafinoa, and David. He opened multiple businesses, including TLT Construction, Tevita Concrete and Landscaping, and Dateline Construction.
According to records we obtained, Ofa has been cited seven times since 2014 for engaging in construction trades without a license.
Despite citation after citation, Ofa continued to work without a license, breaking state rules. The citations add up to $9,000, all of which are unpaid.
“That tells us a story that they just don’t care,” said Mark Steinagel, director of Utah’s Department of Professional and Occupational Licensing.
His office has heard from so many victims who have lost thousands of dollars, they’ve referred the matter to criminal prosecutors.
“I definitely think law enforcement and prosecutors should take a look at whether the harm and fraud he’s perpetuated deserve severe penalties,” said Steinagel.
Criminal penalties have been assessed. KSL Investigators combed through court records, searching Ofa’s aliases and company names, and found his activity goes all the way back to 2011.
He has been charged with misdemeanors for engaging in a construction trade without a license five times. The most recent charge was settled in November with a plea in abeyance, for which he must complete a thinking errors class and be on probation for a year.
More serious punishment may be coming.
During the course of our investigation, two additional cases against Ofa were filed, both carrying felony charges of theft by deception.
One of those cases involves the Nguyen job. Because of the amount of money Ofa is alleged to have taken without finishing the work, the penalty could mean up to 15 years in jail.
KSL Investigators reached out to Ofa multiple times on different phone numbers without a response.
After finding an address listed on the most recent lawsuit against him, we stopped by his home. While Ofa was not there, a man driving by saw our cameras and stopped. He was able to get Ofa on the phone for us.
When asked about the Nguyen job, he said, “Oh yeah, the only thing that I can think is that it’s been snowing, that’s the only thing that’s holding me up.”
When we pressed him about some of the complaints against him going back years, and that Nguyen’s job was abandoned last summer, long before it snowed, he responded, “That job, I’m still working on it. I got the fence and all that, but I’m not done. You know, the snow came down and then I’m going to complete. I’ve got the fence and the rest of the material.”
When asked about his multiple convictions of contracting without a license, he said he needs to work.
“Like I said, what I rather do? I cannot feed my family. I have six kids, and the only way I can do it is going out and trying to get some work,” Ofa said.
As for Nguyen, he thinks Ofa needs to be stopped before he financially hurts anyone else.
“I think the part that makes me so mad, and the reason we reached out to you guys, is that clearly he’s doing this to other people,” said Nguyen.
Ofa is due in court on February 10, and KSL Investigators plan to follow this story.
BY MATT GEPHARDT AND CINDY ST. CLAIR KSLTV.com
Have you experienced something you think just isn’t right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.
The Speaker of the House has remained silent on whether Hon. Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa’s travelling allowance and salaries are being paid by the government.
As we reported last month, there have been calls for the Speaker, Lord Fakafanua, to state whether or not the 72-years old former Prime Minster is still being paid his travelling allowance and salary while he is seeking medical attention in the United States.
Lord Fakafanua (L), Former Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa
This was in response to a press from Parliament and confirmation that Hon. Tu’i’onetoa’s medical expenses in the United States were paid for by his family.
It is understood that MPs are entitled to these if they are on medical leave overseas.
The calls for further information were sparked by a Parliamentary press release confirming that the former Prime Minister had been granted an extension of his medical leave.
Kaniva News earlier raised the question of whether his continued absence from the House might trigger a by-election certain circumstances.
We asked the Speaker to release Hon. Tu’i’onetoa’s salaries and travelling allowance records while he is in the United States and confirm whether he is still receiving them.
We also asked the Speaker why Parliament has not confirmed that it paid the former Prime Minister’s expenses while he has been having spinal surgery in Sydney in 2017.
So far Lord Fakafanua has not responded to these questions.
For more information
Parliament approves longer medical leave for former Prime Minister, but now there are calls for release of salary and travelling allowance details
Dr Sitiveni Halapua, former Deputy leader of Tonga’s Democratic movement, has died January 29.
Born on February 13, 1949, he was a respected academic, a pioneer of Tonga’s democratic reforms and pioneer of a conflict resolution system based on traditional practices.
Dr Sitiveni Halapua. Photo/Kalino Lātū, Kaniva Tonga News
Halapua earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Kent in the UK and went on to lecture in economics at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji.
He was Director of the Pacific Islands Development Programme at the East-West Centre at the University of Hawai’i for more than 20 years.
It was while working at the East-West Centre that he developed a conflict-resolution system based on the Polynesian practice of Talanoa, known as the Talanoa conflict-resolution system.
It has been used in the Cook Islands, Fiji, and Tonga.
In November 2005 Dr Halapua was appointed to the National Committee for Political Reform, aimed at producing a plan for the democratic reform of Tonga.
In October 2006 the Commission recommended a fully elected parliament. He later accused Prime Minister Feleti Sevele’s of hijacking the report and blamed this for the 2006 Nuku’alofa riots, which destroyed much of central Nuku’alofa.
Dr Halapua was elected to Parliament as a people’s representative for Tongatapu 3 in the 2010 elections.
Four years later, he was ousted as candidate for the Democratic Party after party leader and Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s newspaper, Kele’a, accused him of being at the centre of a plot to seek the Premiership.
As Kaniva News reported at the time Kele’a claimed that three Democratic Party members, including People’s Representatives Semisi Tapueluelu and Sione Taione planned in 2012 to replace Pohiva with fellow parliamentarian Dr Sitiveni Halapua.
Kele’a alleged that the plan was made in 2012 when the Democratic Government lodged a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister, Lord Tu’ivakano.
Both Taione and Halapua denied the story.
Relations between Pohiva and Halapua had been strained since October 2013 when Dr Halapua abstained from voting for a bill that would have let the Prime Minister be popularly elected.
The bill was laid before the Tongan Parliament by Democrat MP Dr ‘Aisake Eke and had received massive support from many of the 17 popular electorates, nine of which elected Democrat Members of Parliament. However, the motion was lost 15-6.
Dr Halapua’s abstention drew strong criticisms from the local media and the Democrats.
Kele’a lashed out at Dr Halapua’s behaviour, with the editor saying he no longer trusted him as one of the front benchers of the party.
Dr Halapua had long been an advocate of what he called Pule’anga Kafataha or ‘Coalition Government.’
Under the proposal all parliamentarians, whether nobles or commoners, would work together as a coalition.
In 2010 Halapua told Kaniva News that Democratic Party Parliamentarians voting as members of a coalition could elect a noble rather than his party leader, ‘Akilisi Pohiva, but still keep their allegiance to Pohiva and the Democratic Party.
After he was removed as a Democrat candidate, Dr Halapua said he would stand as an independent at the next election, but did not run. He stood unsuccessfully in 2017 election.
