Former Veikune to be sentenced tomorrow [1]
Wednesday, February 15, 2006 - 20:13. Updated on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - 15:24.
Tonga's Chief Justice Robin Webster this morning, February 15 postponed the sentencing of the former Speaker of the Tongan parliament, Noble Veikune, (now known as Siosifa Fatafehi Fuatakifolaha) to tomorrow, awaiting a medical report.
Counsel Sosifa Tu'utafaiva made a submission this morning, pleading for a suspended sentence for his client, saying that at 61 years of age he is not a healthy man.
Chief Justice Webster requested that a medical report be provided today.
The sentencing of the other accused, 'Amini Tu'ivai was also postponed to tomorrow.
'Amini Tu'ivai's counsel, Clive Edwards made a submission that the course of justice had been affected by the Privy Council decision to strip the former Veikune of his noble title, and his seat in the Tonga Legislative Assembly, after a jury found the two men guilty on January 25. Edwards believed it was premature and they should have waited for the Chief Justice to pass his sentence.
Edwards claimed that the sentencing of the two offenders had been affected and would be unfair "because the Executive body of the Privy Council had jumped in and made a decision before the court completed its process."