Sio Vaka (20) was acquitted of manslaughter in relation to the stabbing death of Lipine Fakatene (33) in January last year, after a Supreme Court judge ruled this was self-defence during a tragic altercation at Fua'amotu. “Knives and other weapons should not be carried by young men for the purpose of fighting and this case is a demonstration of the very tragic consequences that can occur when they are,” said the Judge.
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Results for From the Courts
Tuesday 20 June 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
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Friday 16 June 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
An angry, drunken man who wilfully set fire to a relative's house at Tatakamotonga, Tongatapu, was found guilty of serious arson, in the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court on 14 June.
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Thursday 15 June 2017
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Seattle, USA
A young US Tongan woman in Seattle, Melissa Prisila Langi (23), is being charged with 10 counts of first-degree assault by a US Court for her participation in four separate drive-by shootings. She was arrested by Seattle Police last month May 26, in connection to the shootings.
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Tuesday 13 June 2017
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Salt Lake City-Utah, USA
Two women and one man of Tongan descent in Utah, are facing federal charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy to distribute Methamphetamine in the Salt Lake City area. The three are Makasini Lomu (50) of West Valley City, Siosifina Ositamani (41) of Salt Lake City, and Timote Fangupo (36) of West Jordan.
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Tuesday 13 June 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga's courts have granted the confiscation of $28,289 pa'anga of "tainted property" from a woman who ran a Chinese Clinic at Havelu - the first confiscation under Tonga's Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crimes Act 2000.
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Monday 12 June 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Lord Chief Justice will proceed straight to hear a judicial review filed by the former General Manager of the Tonga Broadcasting Commission Nanise Fifita, now set for Tuesday, June 20, at the Supreme Court.
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Friday 9 June 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
An injunction filed by the former General Manager of Tonga Broadcasting Commission Nanise Fifita has been adjourned to be heard on Monday, June 12.
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Wednesday 7 June 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of an application by the Public Service Association and ‘Akilisi Pohiva to recover further documents from defendants, Kingdom of Tonga and Tongasat, in an ongoing legal proceeding, in which they essentially claimed the unlawful payment of millions to Tongasat, for the use of orbital slots by a Chinese company.
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Wednesday 31 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A police officer (27) charged with armed robbery remains in custody after his case was adjourned to 6 June.
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Thursday 25 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Petuliki Lave (22) was sentenced to eight years imprisonment after pleading guilty to the serious offence of carnal knowledge of a child under the age of 12.
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Thursday 25 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Paletili Afu (33) who pleaded guilty to various counts including reckless driving causing the death of a one-year-old baby boy during a collision on the road in 2016, received a two and a half-years suspended sentence, at the Supreme Court on 18 May. The judge noted with concern that it is not uncommon for passengers to be thrown from cars or trucks, during collisions of unworthy vehicles on Tonga's roads.
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Tuesday 23 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
An application for leave for judicial review filed by Nanise Fifita, former CEO of the Tonga Broadcasting Commission against Government regarding the termination of her employment contract, has been granted by the Supreme Court.
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Friday 19 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Nanise Fifita has filed an application for judicial review against Government over her dismissal and termination of her renewed contract as CEO of the Tonga Broadcasting Commission on 1 May.
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Wednesday 17 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
In an action brought by a creditor who is seeking to recover $290,000 from a deregistered public enterprise, Tonga Investments Limited (TIL), Tonga’s Supreme Court ordered its restoration to the register of companies on 26 April 2017.
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Monday 15 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tevita Vaka (28) is serving an accumulative sentence of 12-years imprisonment for a series of violent robberies in 2015-16 in Nuku'alofa. A Supreme Court judge who viewed "the callous, ruthless nature of the offending" said this was a deterrent sentence to protect people from being the victims of predatory criminal acts in their homes.
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Sunday 14 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Public Service Tribunal has allowed the appeal of Busby Kautoke against the termination of his contract of employment by the Public Service Commission (PSC) on 18 April 2017.
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Sunday 14 May 2017
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California, USA
Two Tongan women in California, have been jailed for neglecting their 73-year-old mother, who was found in a gangrenous state after passing away in 2013. The pair were sentenced on Friday, only two days before Mother’s day today. They were sentenced by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
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Wednesday 10 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Heamani Lopeti who was charged with armed robbery using a pistol at a Chinese store in Longlongo on March 25, 2016 got off the charges after identification evidence was rejected in the courts. The Judge expressed concern over Tonga Police's failure to adopt proper identification procedure, saying that it was at best "careless".
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Monday 8 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Rizvi Jurangpathy whose employment contract was terminated by a unanimous decision of a Combined ICT Board during a meeting on 21 April, has filed a civil action against the Tonga Communications Corporation.
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Friday 5 May 2017
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Poasi Ngaluafe (49) a senior officer working with the Ministry of Fisheries was acquitted of causing death, while driving under the influence of alcohol in excess of 250 micrograms per litre of breath.
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