Speaker apprehended at airport [1]
Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 13:22. Updated on Friday, May 2, 2014 - 15:29.
LORD Lasike, the Speaker of the Tonga Parliament was apprehended by police after his arrival at Fua'amotu International Airport today January 19.
A police escort took Lasike to the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa, for a bail hearing before Justice Robert Shuster just before 3pm. When Lasike was asked by the judge whether he admitted to have breached his bail by not returning to Tonga on December 17, 2011 and surrendering his passport, Lasike answered him in Tongan, that he accepted that he had breached his bail.
Justice Shuster ordered him to surrender his passport to the court, which was firstly shown to the Solicitor General 'Aminiasi Kefu who represented the Crown, before it was handed to the bench.
The judge ordered that Lasike is forbidden to travel outside of Tonga until his case is over. He released him on bail on the condition that he provide two sureties of $3,000 pa'anga each.
Lasike is to appear at the Supreme Court on January 20, when for arraignment on one count of of unlawful possession of .22 ammunition.
Lord Lasike was represented in court by counsel William Edwards.
The warrant of arrest was issued by the Chief Justice Hon Michael Dishington Scott in December last year, on notice of the crown, after Lasikee defied the conditions of a court order and breached his bail when he travelled to the United States and failed to return to Tonga on December 17.
Arrival
Lord Lasike and new wife Sandra, arrived on an Air New Zealand flight from Auckland at 12:30pm today and came through the ATS VIP area.
Two police vehicles were parked outside the gate and a police officer served the arrest warrant on the Speaker inside the VIP lounge.
Dressed in a suit, Lasike exited the VIP gate without handcuffs and got into his parliamentary vehicle, with his wife, driven by his driver. They were then escorted to town by the two police vehicles, one in front of the Speaker's vehicle and the other behind.