Tonga's prime minister has penalised his infrastructure minister, 'Etuate Lavulavu, by ordering him to work five months without pay and reassigning his tourism portfolio.
An election petition filed against Tonga's Minister of Infrastructure, 'Etuate Lavulavu, for alleged illegal practices will be heard by a Supreme Court judge in July. Photo: Facebook
This afternoon, Tonga's parliament cancelled a proposal to impeach Mr Lavulavu following an auditor general's report that raised concern about his ministry's work in Vava'u.
The push for impeachment began in August after claims arose that he had not been following policies and regulations, mismanaging government properties.
However Radio Tonga reports that in parliament today, 'Akilisi Pohiva instead opted to suspend Mr Lavulavu's pay reassign his portfolio.
Meanwhile, Mr Lavulavu will face trial on Monday over alleations he bribed voters to vote for him during his 2014 election campaign in Vava'u.