Results for Clive Edwards

A hearing on an appeal by the Crown against a ruling by a Magistrate discharging four counts against former Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano, namely for accepting bribes by a government servant was heard on May 17 at the Supreme Court.

Three Petitions with over 10,000 signatures calling for King Tupou VI to dissolve the Tongan Parliament and establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the Pohiva government, were presented to the Palace Office in Nuku'alofa this afternoon, 18 February. By Pesi Fonua

Mateni Tapueluelu, the No. 4 Tongatapu People’s Representative to the Tonga Legislative Assembly has lost his seat, in a Nuku'alofa Supreme Court ruling on 11 December 2015 that found his election was unconstitutional because of outstanding debts on a court order from 2011.

Tonga’s former Deputy Prime Minister and current Vava’u No.15 People’s Representative to Parliament has denied allegations made against him by an unsuccessful candidate who filed an election petition with the Supreme Court, in Nuku'alofa.

An attempt by the Ministry of Justice to reform Tonga's judicial system is on hold, awaiting HM King Tupou VI's consent to amendments of the Constitution and the Judicial and Legal Service Commission Act, that were passed by Parliament at the end of August. A constitutional review has found that "The provisions in the Constitution relating to the Judiciary are particularly laking in both structure and content to the extent that they are not only unworkable but are totally incompatible with the principles of constitutional monarchy and democracy upon which the new Constitution of 2010 was supposed to have been founded." By Pesi Fonua.

An attempt by the former Minister of Finance Lisiate 'Akolo to make a direct in-put into the 2014-2015 National Budget with nine Motion Resolutions that he tabled into the Tongan parliament on 24 March was deflected by the Minister of Justice, Hon. Clive Edwards. From the House by Pesi Fonua.

A letter writer to the Kele'a and the newspaper, along with its publisher and editor, were ordered to pay a total of $249,442 in damages and costs in a civil defamation case that was brought by the Tongan Prime Minister, Lord Tu'ivakano and six Cabinet Ministers, including the Minister of Justice Hon. Clive Edwards.

Four local companies who were suing their insurance company for cover over damage to their properties in the riots of 16 November 2006, ended their case today on the basis that no party paid costs. The plaintiffs were disappointed to pull out as the evidence in court about the riots favoured the defence position that the riots resulted from "a popular rising, people connected with an organisation the objects of which included influencing the government by violent means and terrorism."

'Akilisi Pohiva's talk of laying criminal charges against the Prime Minister, Lord Tu'ivakano for allegedly misappropriating millions of government funds, caused a stir in Tonga's parliament this morning. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.