From the Courts

Four Tongan Lords, including the current Speaker of Parliament, a former Speaker of Parliament, a current Noble’s Representative to Parliament and a Law Lord each have pending court cases in Tonga’s courts, after being charged with offences ranging from illicit drugs to illegal possession of firearms, ammunitions, and perjury.

Mosese Manuofetoa was fined $150 after pleading guilty to one charge of assault, at the Nuku’alofa Magistrate’s Court on Friday, May 4.

Justice Charles Cato, a New Zealander, was sworn in this morning, May 3, as Tonga’s second Supreme Court Judge, replacing Justice Robert Shuster who has been a judge of the Tongan Supreme Court during the past four years.

Justice James Burchett (81), Tonga’s longest serving judge of its Court of Appeal, for 20 years, retired from the service on Friday, April 27.

The first sitting of Tonga’s Court of Appeal for this year started on April 16-27 and will hear eight appeal cases, at the Supreme Court in Nuku’alofa.