The trial of Shoreline whistleblower Piveni Piukala is scheduled to begin on December 14 for one week at the Nuku'’alofa Supreme Court.

The directional hearing on the criminal case brought by the crown, against the former employee of the Shoreline Power Company, was held before Tonga's new Chief Justice Anthony Ford on September 15 in Chambers.

The Chief Justice set a pre trial conference to be held on November 17 to confirm that the trial date will begin on December 14. The defence has also submitted for the trial to be held by jury.

Piveni, the former Manager of the Computer Division of Shoreline Power, is charged with two counts of unlawfully accessing a protected computer, and the destroying of the computer data of Shoreline Power. He had on July 11 pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Piveni revealed in a series of interviews with the Kele'a newspaper in March 2005 the high salaries of Shoreline executives, and some internal problems of the company, in which Tonga's new King George Tupou V still has ownership.