Supreme Court refuses application to set aside arrest warrant for Speaker of House [1]
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 22:20. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
JUSTICE Robert Shuster has refused an application filed by Lord Lasike's counsel seeking to set aside his warrant of arrest filed at the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa on January 17.
Lord Lasike's counsel William Edwards filed an application on behalf of his client seeking to set aside his bench warrant and variation of bail on January 17. It was put to the court that the Speaker was sick and that prevented him from going on the parliamentary trip to Israel in November last year.
But Justice Shuster refused the application and the warrant of arrest remains standing with a direction that he be arrested upon arrival into Tonga.
Lord Lasike has not returned to Tonga to date, but he is listed to appear at the Supreme Court this Friday, January 20 for arraignment over his one charge of unlawful possession of .22 ammunition.
The warrant of arrest was initially issued by the Chief Justice Michael Dishington Scott in December last year at the notice of the Crown after he defied the conditions of a court order and breached bail when he travelled to the USA.