Witness saw accused PR in front of rioters [1]
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 18:55. Updated on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - 16:26.
Sikiniti Ueleni, a witness told the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court this morning she saw the accused 'Isileli Pulu standing in front of the people who were damaging the Pacific Royale Hotel on November 16, 2006.
On the sixth day of the trial of Pulu and two other accused, she told the court she recognised Pulu because he is a People's Representative for the Tongatapu District, and said, "I saw him hold his mobile phone and he was pressing and talking in to it."
The witness, who works at the Ministry of Labour, Commerce and Small Industries said that on November 16, she was at their office branch located on the top floor of the Tungi Arcade Building beside the Pacific Royale Hotel.
She looked down from their office and saw many people standing in front of the hotel and the only person she recognised was the accused.
"People at this time were stoning and smashing the hotel and 'Isi was standing in front of the people who were doing the damage, facing the hotel ", said the witness.
She estimated that the accused remained in the area for around 20 to 30 minutes but she did not know when he left.
Crowd of rioters
She recalled, that the crowd of rioters after smashing the hotel moved southwards and when they came back into town they were throwing around phone cards and she believed they got them from Tonfon at the Shoreline building.
She confirmed Shoreline was on fire and she saw smoke coming from that direction.
In the cross-examination, the witness said the people who were stoning the hotel were in the middle of the road and the accused was standing in front of them and objects were thrown upwards at the hotel, she said.
The witness is the 19th of the Crown's 32 witnesses who will be called to give evidence in the ongoing jury trial.
'Isileli Pulu has pleaded not guilty to charges of abetment to murder and abetment to arson relating to the deaths in the Shoreline building fire during the riots of November 16, 2006, in which he is alleged to have indirectly incited his two co-accused to commit the crimes of murder and arson.
The co-accused, Sosefo 'Amone and Siosiua 'Ulutaufonua are charged with nine counts each of murder and arson endangering life.