Tevita Valikoula was convicted today of abetting the theft of 85 kava plants valued at $17,000 pa'anga at Manuka in May 2019.

Hon Mr Justice Niu found the accused guilty of the offence, after a trial in July at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court. 

On May 21, 2019 at a tax allotment in Manuka the accused abetted Sione Mafi Lolohea to steal the kava plants belonging to Aloha Likio.

The Court heard in 2016, the complainant planted in excess 1000 kava plants on his tax allotment, Hu'akava at Manuka.  

He maintained it well but Tropical Cyclone Gita destroyed some 700 plants in 2018 and he had only 300 plants left, which he maintained. He aimed to grow the kava plants until eight-years-old so that it would attain full maturity in size, weight and strength. 

Village youths were employed to weed them from time to time. 

However, on the morning of May 23, 2019 the complainant was shocked to find that some 85 plants had been uprooted and stolen. He immediately complained to the Mu'a Police Station. 


On the evening of May 25, the complainant spoke with a Navutoka youth, Sione Tonata Tupou. The complainant then rang a police officer at Mu'a who went and spoke with the youth.

As a result two Police search 
parties were executed on May 28, after a search warrant was granted for the accused's town and tax allotment.

Police who searched the town allotment, found nothing except the accused who was there.

Another search party at the tax allotment found the kava, which had been cut into small pieces and were laid out on sheets of corrugated iron among a bush grass to dry in the sun. They were also placed there to keep them out of sight. 

Also found were cut up stalks (stems) of the kava plants bundled-up and left open in a plastic sheet, under a fallen tree trunk in a taro patch. 

In addition, in a tent Police found stolen Tongan ta'ovala and fine mats from another offence.

The accused, his son and Lolohea were arrested and charged with theft and abetting of theft of the kava and of the Tongan stuff and they and all properties were taken to the police station at Mu'a, said the judge.

On the next day, the complainant came and looked at the kava. He identified it as his because there were still bits of 'tou'one' soil on some of the pieces of kava with roots on them, which he said was identical to the tou'one soil at his tax allotment. 

The accused had already been convicted for receiving the stolen Tongan fine mats and properties from Lolohea earlier this week.

He will be sentenced on both offences on October 13.