House rejects Auditor’s report on passport sales

'I he'emau vakai atu mei muli ni, kuo laka hake 'i he ta'u 'e tolungofulu 'a e palopalema 'o e paasipooti. Ko hono foaki ha paasipooti faka-tipilometika 'e 13 ki ha tokotaha muli, 'ikai 'ilo pe 'oku sitiseni Tonga pe 'ikai 'oku fu'u fakavalevale 'i he'emau vakai atu. Hange kuo ha'u ia mei muli 'o 'i ai ha tu'unga ia ke fa'iha'iteliha pe ia kane fiema'u 'eia ha paasipooti tipilometika pea 'oange. Ko e taha 'o e ngaahi palopalema lahi 'i mamani he ngaahi 'ahoni ko hono ngaue'aki 'e he kau faihia 'a e ngaahi paasipooti 'oku 'ikai ko 'enau ngaahi paasipooti totonu ke fai 'aki 'enau faihia pea mo 'enau fakapo (terrorist). Ko e lau 'a 'Aisake, ki hono transfer, pea mo hono fakangofua 'a e $32 miliona kihe Tongastat, na'e fakangofua 'ehe Reserve Bank pea mo e Minister of Finance. Koe me'a 'oku ta'emahino kiate kimautolu, kohai leva na'ane fakangofua 'a e Reserve Bank pea mo e Minisita pa'anga ke 'ave 'a e pa'anga ko'eni ki he Tongastat, pe na'e 'i ai ha aleapau pe 'ikai. Pe 'oku tonu 'eni, pe 'oku hala, hange ko 'emau 'ilo ko e pa'anga no 'eni 'a e pule'anga mei Siaina ke toe langa ngaahi pisinisi na'e vela. Ko e minisita lao, mahalo pe kuo toulekeleka, kuo taimi ke ketuketu a ki honau 'api, he kuo motu'a 'ene lao, kae 'omai fanga ki'i tamaiki 'o e kuonga ke nau hoko atu 'a e ngaue....SAIA

I hope people do understand the necessity for independent commissions of inquiry or an anti corruption commission. It is quite sad the auditor general's report has not received the respect it deserves.
John Cauchi

The Anti Corruption Commission was established by legislation in 2007 but has never been utilised. These obviously serious levels of allegations relating to entrenched corruption and facilitations by senior government officers could be effectively dealt with by a Commission of inquiry. Simply passing legislation to avoid international sanctions is not a solution to the problems associated with corruption and conflicts of interest within government. If there was any real acknowledgement to the problem then an independent Commission of Inquiry using the legislation provided within the Kingdom of Tonga would be a far more effective way of showing to the international community and the people of Tonga that the government was serious about the issue.

IKA