Tonga marijuana trial stops after witness gives damaging testimony [1]
Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 17:32. Updated on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - 15:18.
A jury trial of two men charged with importing 14kg of marijuana to Tonga was stopped this week, after the defence counsel objected to a damaging testimony given by a Crown witness.
Chief Justice Robin Webster stopped the jury trial of Siaosi Kadivuka Amanoni and Semi Vete Jr on February 21 at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court, and ordered a retrial by a new jury and a new judge, to be held in March 2007.
The two men have been on trial for the past three weeks, charged with the importation of 14kgs of marijuana to Tonga from Fiji in 2003.
Linda Simiki, the counsel for the Crown said today that the order for a retrial followed a specific testimony made by one of the Crown...s witnesses against Vete.
The counsel for the defendant, Nalesoni Tupou, objected on the grounds that the testimony would affect the decision of the jury. After a legal debate, the Chief Justice came to a conclusion that the evidence given by the particular witness was damaging and it would be unfair on Vete for the trial to continue being heard before the same jury regardless if he had instructed them to disregard what the witness had said.
The Nuku...alofa Supreme Court office confirmed today that due to the full schedules of court cases this year the retrial has been set for March 2007 and it will be heard before Mr. Justice Anthony Ford, and new jurors will be selected.