Tonga sets up its first Anti Corruption office [1]
Thursday, June 12, 2008 - 09:41. Updated on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 - 16:11.
The appointment of Tonga's first Interim Anti Corruption Commissioner is expected to be announced on Friday June 13, following the opening this week of an office for the Anti Corruption Commission in Nuku'alofa.
The office is located in the Mosimani Building, Kolofo'ou.
The official opening on June 11 was attended by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General Hon 'Alisi Taumoepeau with some members of the Joint Working Group that was set up in April to accelerate the establishment of the independent office.
The program featured a special public awareness program performed by the Fili Tonu Youth Group, which performed drama and action songs to introduce the objectives for the setting up of an Anti Corruption Commission office in Tonga.
The primary responsibility of the Joint Working Committee was to direct pre-establishment activities and mobilize public interest in the new commission.
Neil Adsett the Law Revision Commissioner from the office of the Attorney General in his opening remarks said that the performance by the Youth Group and the setting up of the office were the first moves to educate the public about the work of the commission.
"Our primary goal is to investigate suspected wrong doings and bring in corrupt public officials for better governance in Tonga and we hope that within five years Tonga will be the best governing country in the Pacific," he said.
The action songs performed by the Fili Tonu included the Theme Song for the Anti Corruption Commission. The message highlighted that the commission is in Tonga and they will work towards transparency and integrity to bring about good governance in government.
The Anti Corruption Commission was established last August with the enactment of the Anti Corruption Commission Act 2007.
Present was the Solicitor General Linda Folaumoetu'i, the Acting Chief Justice Hon. Shuster, Dr 'Ana Taufe'ulungaki, the Deputy Governor of the National Reserve Bank of Tonga, the Australian High Commissioner HE Dr Bruce Hunt and New Zealand High Commissioner HE Christine Bogle.