Lord Tu'ilakepa

Two Tongan Lords, including the current Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga and a former Speaker, have pending court cases at the Nuku’alofa Magistrate’s court, after being charged with offences of illegal possession of arms and ammunitions.

The Crown is expected to formally withdraw two of the illicit drug charges against Lord Tu’ilakepa due to insufficient evidence - two years after the noble was first charged in December 2010.

An appeal by Lord Tu’ilakepa, a former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga, against a Magistrate’s ruling to hold separate Preliminary Inquiries for his arms and drugs charges will be heard on 30 January, 2013.

Lord Tu’ilakepa, a former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga who is facing multiple charges of conspiracy to the importation of illicit drugs and illegal possession of firearms, had his case adjourned yet again. He is appealing against a decision by a Magistrate, for the Preliminary Inquiry to be held on 27 November.

A former Speaker of Parliament Lord Tu’ilakepa and the current Deputy Speaker Lord Tu’iha’ateiho will appear at the Nuku’alofa Magistrate’s Court separately in October and November, for preliminary inquiries on separate criminal charges.