TBC still looking for alleged “missing” $4-8m [1]
Thursday, March 10, 2016 - 10:00. Updated on Friday, March 11, 2016 - 14:45.
By Pesi Fonua
A claim by a new Public Enterprise director ‘Ahongalu Fusimalohi in an interview with Lady Luseane Luani on Radio 87.5FM that there was $4-8 million pa'anga held in the Operational Account of the Tonga Broadcasting Commission when he and his father, the late Tavake Fusimalohi, left employment with TBC many years ago, has sent the accounting staff of TBC on a search for the alleged missing millions.
As of 8 March, according to a TBC spokesperson they had not able to locate any record of $4-$8 million in the historical accounts of TBC.
‘Ahongalu Fusimalohi is currently working part-time at the TBC in its News Section and also in its Sales and Marketing Division. At the same time he was recently appointed as one of the directors of a board that is responsible for the government's Communication and Technology Sector, which includes the Tonga Broadcasting Commission, as well as Tonga Communications Corporation, and Tonga Post and Fast Print.
'Ahongalu's comments on the radio, particularly his claim about a a multi-million operation budget, have surprised the former management of TBC.
In a Press Conference at the TBC studio on 29 February, ‘Elenoa ‘Amanaki, who took over the management of TBC after Tavake Fusimalohi left as General Manager in 2002 “there was no $4 to 8 million pa'anga here.”
She said that the only money the TBC had access to at the time was a $90,000 overdraft from the Tonga Development Bank, but the TBC had already overdrawn it by $120,000.
In addition there was also $350,000 in financial assistance from Taiwan, which the Board of TBC decided to invest in bonds with the Tonga Development Bank, and for TBC to use the interest from the bonds as part of its Operational Fund.
‘Elenoa further elaborated on the very poor financial position of the TBC when she took over, so that when Tavake and others left in 2002, the TBC did not have any money to pay them their dues for retirement.
The Prime Minister at the time was Prince ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata [who chaired the TBC board] and, according to ‘Elenoa, they were given a $500,000 grant by government, the equivalent of their annual budget for the next two years.
The $500,000 grant was the only money that government had given to TBC while she was the manager and during her time with TBC they had never paid government any dividends.
She said that the fundamental reason why government assigned her to take over the management of the TBC was because TBC was in a financial mess. When she took over, TBC’s financial accounts had never been audited for five or six years, and it did not even have a list of its assets and their values. 'Elenoa also said that Tavake left TBC in 2002, not in 1992 as was stated.
Meanwhile, Lady Luseane Luani confirmed she went back to ‘Ahongalu to confirm the dates he gave of 1991/1992 and the figure of $4-$8 millions that 'Ahongalu had told her in their interview, and the response was: “No change.”