Fononga Tu...’ipeatau, a Tongatapu candidate for Tonga's March 17 parliamentary election this morning withdrew his name from the Electoral Roll.

Fononga was to appear in the Nuku...’alofa Supreme Court this morning, March 9, to defend a claim by the Crown that his name should be struck out from the Electoral Roll because of his failure to pay court costs that were ordered by Justice Anthony Ford in 1999.

In court this morning both parties agreed for a Settlement Out of Court. Fononga paid the outstanding legal fees of over $3,000, then he announced that he was no longer standing for election.

In a civil case in 1999, Fononga v Government of Tonga, he claimed he was wrongfully dismissed by government, as the then Registrar of the Incorporated Society and Credit Union.

Fononga lost the case and he was ordered by Justice Anthony Ford to pay the plaintiff...’s legal fees of $4,600.

Fononga made an arrangement with the Crown Law Department for him to pay government in instalments of $100 pa...’anga a month, but in 2001 he ceased to keep up the instalment payments.

In court this morning Fononga presented Chief Justice Robin Webster with a receipt of the balance of the legal fees that he owed government of over $3,000 pa...’anga that he paid the Treasury yesterday, March 8.

...‘Ofa Pouono was the legal counsel for the Crown, and Fononga represented himself.