American fugitive faces deportation from Tonga [1]
Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 20:53
A 62 year-old American man, Antone Thomas Pedras is facing deportation after his appeal against a removal order was dismissed by the Supreme Court.
He is wanted in California on fraud charges, after being charged with wire fraud in a U.S Disctrict Court in September 2013.
Pedras who has been married to a Tongan subject since 2000, arrived to Tonga in January and applied for registration as a Tongan subject. However, on May 5 the Prime Minister’s office issued a removal order against him in response to a request by the United States Embassy based in Suva. Pedras appealed to the Prime Minister against the removal order.
Pedras is the owner of a company Maxum Gold Bank Holdings Ltd. His counsel was Laki Niu.
The Acting Attorney General 'Amniasi Kefu was counsel for the Respondents (the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the Principal Immigration Officer).