NUKU’ALOFA (Pacnews) — A Tongan pro-democracy MP, Akilisi Pohiva, is in court seeking damages for wrongful imprisonment in 1996.
Pohiva, along with the publisher of the Taimi O Tonga newspaper, Kalafi Moala, and its then editor, Filokalafi Akau’ola, were imprisoned on contempt of parliament charges.
The three had been jailed after the paper ran a story detailing a motion in the Legislative Assembly criticizing Minister of Police Clive Edwards.
But they were released after three weeks when the Supreme Court ruled their imprisonment violated the Constitution.
All three are seeking damages.
Meanwhile, a preliminary hearing of sedition and forgery charges against Akilisi Pohiva and several others will resume in the middle of next month.
The charges revolve around the publication of a letter, which allegedly pointed to the king of Tonga having a vast fortune in secret overseas bank accounts.
