TONGA: Call for Minister to quit over misappropriation claims
Updated
Tonga's opposition pro-democracy movement wants the country's tourism minister, Fineasi Funaki, to step down over allegations of corruption. An investigation by the Auditor General is underway into claims from the director of tourism, that the minister misappropriated ministry funds. Emails from an anonymous person using an assumed name have been circulating in Tonga and overseas, containing further allegations about the prime minister, Doctor Fred Sevele. Doctor Sevele says due process is being followed, but pro-democracy M-P Clive Edwards says that's no good enough.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speakers: Clive Edwards, Tonga pro-democracy MP
EDWARDS: It's been reported here and I've only been following it from the paper and the published complaint by the Chief Executive Officer of the Tourist Ministry, and based on his complaint to the Prime Minister, which has also been published and the details of the accounts and the cheques that have been converted, there's no doubt in our view that this minister should resign immediately.
HILL: There is an investigation underway and the Prime Minister is suggesting that due process should be allowed to continue. Why would you want him to resign before that process is completed?
EDWARDS: They should know whether he committed the allegations or not, and it's been with them for over a month and nothing has happened so far. They're now claiming that it's going before the Auditor General and he's doing the work on it. But does the minister admit or does he deny it? And if this was an ordinary common person in this country he would be in police custody, particularly with the cheques and the money that was diverted to the other account.
HILL: There has also been associated with this several anonymous allegations and a lot of emails have been sent around Tonga and around the world also naming the Prime Minister in connection with this?
EDWARDS: There is some concern and I think if their concern is real that the way the monies have been paid out and the people that were paid too is not disputed, that's a wife and his store and his relatives and close friends. It's unusual that they have not gone through the tender process of trying to select perhaps the right people to payments and the whole job should have been done by them. But with the allegation of three million dollars being spent in two weeks on close relatives and friends, it calls in my view for a commission of inquiry because they're sidestepping the normal government procedure.
HILL: But alongside this complaint from the CEO of the tourism department about the minister there's been this flurry of anonymous allegations, quite scandalous allegations. Wouldn't this perhaps suggest that some people are taking advantage of this to simply throw some mud around in the hope that it will stick to their political enemies?
EDWARDS: Well the anonymous allegations are factual allegations. The name of the person who is not revealing perhaps his true identity because of fear of reprisal is understandable. But they have refused to answer the allegations, and if that's their stand they make on it it calls for an inquiry so that some protection can be given to the people who are aware of what's going on.
