TONGA: PM challenges email writer to come forward
Updated
Tonga's prime minister has challenged the author of anonymous e-mails alleging corruption by himself and his ministers to reveal his or her identity.The emails have been circulating in Tonga and overseas for the past month. Prime ministerial spokesman Lopeti Senituli has said the author should step forward if he or she wants ther complaints taken seriously. The auditor-general has begun an inquiry into allegations against the minister of tourism, prompting calls from several MPs from Tonga's pro-democracy movement for him to step down. But prime minister Fred Sevele has told Bruce Hill that the call is hypocritical, and that proper proceedures must be followed.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speakers: Doctor Fred Sevele, Tonga's prime minister
SEVELE: I've seen the emails and it is a pity that the anonymous emails have been sent by a coward or cowards. If they really believe that there have been corrupt activities by me or some of those in government, we've got remedies in our laws. Our laws provide for anyone who's aggrieved or anyone who thinks there has been criminal activity by anyone be it in public sector or private sector, we amended the laws last year so as to allow anyone who so feel that corruption has been committed he can take those people to court.
HILL: Have you found out who's behind these anonymous emails?
SEVELE: No this is the thing, Lopeti has sent out an email, I don't reply to those saying look you want us to take to court tell us your true identity. But Lopeti tells me that as of today there hasn't been a response, which puts a whole different perspective on it as I myself expected.
HILL: There seem to be quite a few details about the internal workings of government in these emails and they seem on the surface to come from someone inside the government?
SEVELE: Well yes I mean we've got nothing to hide Bruce and these details it goes through our office, various offices and if they believe there have been felonies committed all they have to do is report it to the police, report it to Attorney General, report it to us and we'll get it investigated. But the main thing we have got a due process to follow, we've got procedures under the law to follow in investigating these allegations. You can't just because someone says so and so has done this and then you take actions, no. I mean I don't get involved in these things here, all I've said these allegations have been made, the deputy prime minister and myself, the minister of finance, this is what we should do. Due process, let the Auditor General investigate these allegations.
HILL: Well there is an investigation underway into the tourism minister and some of the pro-democracy MPs have suggested he should step aside while this is going on?
SEVELE: Bruce if those guys are honest and supposedly future leaders all I will say to them they are hypocrites, they are � Several of them were involved, they were charged with criminal offences relating to the events before and during the troubles of 16 November 2006. At the preliminary hearings at the magistrates court they found that there were cases for them to answer. So it's now in the Supreme Court. Now if they say that the minister for tourism should stand aside, my response to them they should have stood aside from being members of parliament, getting thousands of dollars, they should not have been involved in the discussion of parliament. But one of the fundamental principles of natural justice, constitutional requirement of Tonga is that the due processes need to be worked through, need to be followed. A person is innocent until proven guilty. So are they saying one rule for them, one law for them and one law for ministers? Come on let's be real.
