Arrested MP allowed to return home [1]
Friday, October 24, 2003 - 16:48. Updated on Sunday, May 11, 2014 - 10:53.
The Tongan Member of Parliament, 'Etuate Lavulavu, who was arrested in the United States on October 1, returned to Tonga on 24 October 2003.
'Etuate made headlines after he was arrested at the Salt Lake City International Airport on October 1. The Associated Press reported on October 3 that 'Etuate was arrested by investigators from the Utah Attorney General's Office with the assistance of airport police, for investigation into forgery of birth certificates and other documents that would aid immigrants in establishing US citizenship.
Since his arrest there have been conflicting reports on whether he had been released on bail, or he was still in custody awaiting trial. The US Embassy in Suva, Fiji, declined to comment on the case.
'Etuate was elected into the Tongan Legislative Assembly in 2002 as the Vava'u no. 2 People's Representative on a three-year term. He left Tonga in September to represent Tonga in a parliamentarians meeting in Bangladesh, and was travelling via the United States.
The news of his arrest in Salt Lake City surprised the Tongan Parliament, when Trevor Guttenbeil, the Vava'u no. 1 People's Representative on October 6 and requested that the House try to help free his colleague from jail.
Lavulavu was not available for comment after his return to Tonga.