The Governor of the National Reserve Bank of Tonga, Mr Tatafu Moeaki, said today that he was deeply concerned with the involvement in drugs by one of the bank's senior officers, following a drugs squad raid [2] on the bank's offices last weekend,

Police seized 9.927kg of methamphetamine in a search of the male suspect’s office at the bank on Sunday, 11 February 2024, after 5.73kg of methamphetamine was seized from the home of the suspect, Tevita Nonu Kolokihakaufisi.

In a brief statement released this evening the Governor said it was a “challenging period” and he commended the efficient and effective efforts of the Tonga Police.

He wanted to “assure the banks, the financial institutions and the public that our regulatory functions are unaffected.”

Arrest

“We at the Reserve Bank are deeply concerned with the involvement in drugs by one of our senior officers, Tevita Nonu Kolokihakaufisi. He was arrested by the Police last weekend, and has been in custody since, and the Police investigations are ongoing, with our full support and cooperation.”

“We wish to assure the public that the security of our premises, in particular the high-security area, is not adversely affected. Additional measures are underway to safeguard the safety and protection of our high security area, staff and tenants.

He said that with the Police investigations in progress, “we are advised that this brief statement is sufficient for now."

See also:

https://matangitonga.to/2024/02/12/police-seize-15kg-meth-raids-home-and... [2]