Court acquits three on sedition charges
Title -- 4055 TONGA: Court acquits three on sedition charges
Date -- 21 May 2003
Byline -- None
Origin -- Pacific Media Watch
Source -- Pacnews/Radio New Zealand International, 20 May 2003
Copyright -- PNS/RNZI
Status -- Unabridged
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TONGAN COURT ACQUITS THREE OVER ALLEGED LETTER FORGERY
www.pacnews.org
NUKU'ALOFA (Pacnews/RNZI/Pacific Media Watch): A court in Tonga has acquitted three people, including two politicians, of sedition charges relating to a disclosure about the king's alleged secret offshore wealth.
Member of Parliament 'Akilisi Pohiva, fellow MP 'Isileli Pulu and Pohiva's son Po'oi faced a total of 11 charges over the publication of a mysterious Palace Office letter, which the government claimed was a forgery.
In January last year, Pohiva's Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement newspaper Kele'a, published what it said was a 1991 letter from the late palace secretary, 'Ofa Tu'i'onetoa, allegedly detailing US$350 million held by the king in offshore bank accounts.
A month later, police arrested the three men, claiming Po'oi Pohiva had forged the letter and that the other two had gone along with it.
Akilisi Pohiva says he is pleased with the court decision but he says he still doesn't not know whether the letter was genuine.
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