Ashika Report critical of failings in Cabinet and SCP

The purchase of the MV Princess Ashika was a major acquisition for the Tonga Government but the Cabinet failed to ascertain that its decisions were implemented, and to allow its established institutions, the Procurement Committee and Anti Corruption Commission to operate effectively. This resulted in the purchase of an unseaworthy vessel that was ready for scrap and should never have been allowed to sail in Tonga, a Royal Commission of Inquiry has found.