Results for Supreme Court

A new Supreme Court Judge, Hon. Justice Paul Garlick KC, was welcomed by members of the Tonga Law Society and law practitioners today, 1 May, at the Supreme Court in Nuku’alofa.

Samuela Hafoka (43) is serving 12 months imprisonment for the theft of a vehicle valued at around $13,000, that was parked on Taufa’ahau Road.

Alaisia Matangi (37) is serving a two-year imprisonment sentence for the theft of a vehicle and its contents worth $24,000 outside the Cowley Bakery in Nuku’alofa. The theft occurred while the owner was inside the bakery for a few minutes.

Motekiai Taufahema (48) was found guilty of two offences after he threw a machete, which injured a man in a confrontation outside his home in Navutoka. Police found drugs utensils inside the home.

Tevita Fetu’u (27) received a suspended sentence for causing serious bodily harm when he fractured a 25-year-old man’s jaw in an assault at a bar in Vava’u. The judge ordered that for the next 12 months he must not enter licensed premises or a bar and must not during that period drink in public. He advised the accused to give up alcohol altogether because “it seems you are unable to control yourself.”

Viliami Makahokovalu Tuputupu, the former captain of Tonga's inter-island domestic ferry, the MV ‘Otuanga’ofa, who is serving two years in prison, had his appeal against his sentence dismissed by a Supreme Court judge, who upheld the original sentence, emphasizing the need for public safety and adherence to regulations.

Kulisitafu Fehoko aka Tafu Fehoko (32) is serving eight months in prison for numerous charges, including possession of 1.28 grams of methamphetamine seized in his vehicle, which was intercepted by Police in Vaololoa.

‘Isapela Saiatua Tu’akoi faces four forgery charges, while the Supreme Court in Nuku’alofa on 13 March dismissed four other counts of making a false declaration for obtaining a Tongan passport. The defendant allegedly signed forms to obtain passports for several applicants, including Shiwei Hu in October 2012.

Pauline Langi aka Pauline Faka’osi (32) is serving 20 months imprisonment for the theft and embezzlement of $155,588 from her employer, STH Ltd a car dealer business. The offences were committed over different times when she withdrew the cash from the company's bank account. The court considered that she had a high-risk of re-offending.