Former Prime Minister Lord Tu’ivakanō has pleaded not guilty to a raft of charges stemming from the Chinese passports scandal.
The charges in the Supreme Court involved money laundering, bribery, perjury and fraud in the Supreme Court.
He had also denied firearms charges.
An audit of Tonga’s immigration divisions, completed in 2013, found a Chinese couple, Sien Lee and his wife, had been issued seven diplomatic passports and 15 ordinary passports since 2003.
A police taskforce was established in 2015 to investigate with help from New Zealand’s Serious Fraud Office.
In 2016 Lord Tu’ivakanō promised to resign from Parliament if he was found to have acted improperly over the issuing of passports.
In March last year Kaniva News reported that Lord Tu’ivakanō had been charged with making a false statement for the purpose of obtaining a passport, perjury, acceptance of bribery and money laundering.
The trial has been delayed by legal challenge. Lord Chief Justice Paulsen ruled in May there was sufficient evidence to try the former Prime Minister on bribery charges.
The former Prime Minister has denied the following charges:
- That on July 31, 2013 he knowingly received $26,100.57, which was directly or indirectly obtained from the commissioning of a serious offence and he converted that money with the intention to hide its illegal origin when he caused his wife Robyn Tu’ivakano to deposit the amount in his housing loan account at the bank, BSP Tonga.
- That on November 29, 2013 at Nuku’alofa, he received $216,982.90, which was directly or indirectly obtained from the commissioning of a serious offence and he converted that money with the intention to hide its illegal origin, when he caused to deposit that money into his housing loan account at the bank, BSP Tonga.
- That on July 17, 2015, at Nuku’alofa with the intention to obtain a passport for Hua Guo and Xing Liu he willfully deceived the Immigration Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, when he wrote a letter to the Immigration Division stating that these two were naturalized as Tongans on October 29, 2014, which he knew or had reasonable cause to believe that this statement was false or misleading.
- That on December 21, 2015 in Nuku’alofa, he made a sworn affidavit in which he attested in paragraph 6 that Mr Huo Guo and Ms Xing Liu were naturalized during his tenure as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and he knew that this statement was false.
- That on December 21, 2015 he made a sworn affidavit in relation Mr Huo Guo and Ms Xing Liu after naturalization and there were Tongan passports issued to these two and knew that this statement was false.
- That on July 31, 2013 at Nuku’alofa, while working as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he did accept $26,100.57 from persons unknown. This money was received through his wife Joyce Robyn Tu’ivakano and it was an inducement for him to approve the issuance of Tongan passports, which were lodged by ‘Isapela Satua Tu’akoi to the Immigration Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- That on November 18, 2013 at Nuku’alofa, while working as the Minister of Foreign Affairs he did accept $199,408.94 pa’anga from Sien Lee and Ying Huang Lee and this money was an inducement to approve the issuance of Tongan passports, which were lodged by their agent ‘Isapela Satua Tu’akoi to the Immigration Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- That on November 20, 2013 at Nuku’alofa while working as the Minister of Foreign Affairs he did accept $17,573.96 pa’anga from Technic Enterprise Ltd and it was an inducement to approve the issuance of Tongan passports, lodged by ‘Isapela Satua Tu’akoi to the Immigration Division
- That on July 23, 2014, while working at the Minister of Foreign Affairs he did accept $9,718.78 pa’anga from Ying Huan Lee. This money was received through his wife Joyce Robyn Tu’ivakano and it was an inducement to approve the issuance of Tongan passports, which were lodged by Ying Huan Lee’s agent ‘Isapela Satua Tu’akoi, to the Immigration Division.
- That on November 20, 2014 at Nuku’alofa, while working as the Minister of Foreign Affairs he did accept $3,000 pa’anga from Sien Lee. This money was received through a grandson Jordan Kaho and it was an inducement for him to approve the issuance of Tongan passports, which were lodged by Lee’s agent ‘Isapela Satua Tu’akoi to the Immigration Division.
- That on November 28, 2014 while working as Minister of Foreign Affairs he did accept $5,000 pa’anga from Sien Lee, this money was received through his grandson and this was an incumbent for him to approve the issuance of Tongan passports lodge by Lee’s agent ‘Isapela Satua Tu’akoi to the Immigration Division.
- That on December 31, 2014 while working as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he did accept $10,000 pa’anga from Sien Lee and this money was received through his wife and was an inducement for him to approve the issuance of Tongan passports, lodged by Lee’s Agent ‘Isapela Satua Tuakoi to the immigration Division.
- That the accused on March 1, 2018 at Nuku’alofa for possession of a rifle (Marlin Midel 70HC .22 LR rifle) without a licence and a Bettinsoli X Sport T16 12 gauge shotgun without a licence.
- Lord Tu’ivakano is accused of possessing 258 pieces of ammunition without a licence on March 1,
The Prosecution want to hold the noble’s trial together with two other accused, ‘Isabella Satua Tu’akoi and ‘Ileana Suliana Taulua who are also charged with passport offences. The defence opposed the request.
The Chief Justice adjourned the case so both sides could file paper regarding the application for a joint trial.
The case was adjourned to July 26.
The main points
- Former Prime Minister Lord Tu’ivakano has pleaded not guilty to a raft of charges stemming from the Chinese passports scandal.
- The charges in the Supreme Court involved money laundering, bribery, perjury and fraud in the Supreme Court.
- He had also denied firearm charges.
For more information
Lord Tu’ivakano pleads not guilty to 15 charges
Tongan police charge Lord Tu’ivakanō with bribery in passport saga probe
