Two Chinese nationals charged in relation to the forgery of Tongan passports, will appear at the Nuku'alofa Magistrate's Court on February 18.

The pair, a man and a women were prohibited from leaving Tonga after they were arrested by police at Fua'amotu International Airport on October 15 last year.

The Deputy Police Commissioner ‘Unga Fa’aoa said they were currently on bail. The Magistrate is expected to make a decision whether there is a case to send to the Supreme Court, he said.

The woman is charged with three counts, including possession of a forged passport, use of a forged passport and possession of an unlawful passport, while the man is charged with three counts of abetment.

Police had earlier reported that the woman accused had tried to leave Tonga allegedly on the forged Tongan passport after they both entered on Chinese passports on October 11, 2013.