Samoa's Speaker handed reports on electoral petitions
The Speaker of the Samoan Parliament, Papali'i Li'o Ta'eu Masipa'u, has received reports and certificates on all the electoral petitions relating to the April General Election.
Chief Justice Satiu Simativa Perese said in a press release 28 electoral petitions and 27 counter petitions were filed with the Supreme Court.
However, 17 were withdrawn and 11 of these cases went to trial.
Samoa Chief Justice Satiu Simativa Perese Photo: RNZ Pacific/Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia
Of those 11 petitions, four of them resulted in elections being voided for corrupt practices.
The Chief Justice said that of the remaining seven cases, six were "dismissed as not being proved".
In the remaining matter, the Chief Justice said the petition was dismissed but the counter petition was proved.
Top offficer charged over boat grounding
In Samoa, the suspended Officer-in-charge of the Nafanua II patrol boat, Superintendent Taito Sefo Hunt, faces five charges of misconduct over the grounding of the vessel on a reef.
Deputy Police Commissioner, Auapa'au Logoitino Filipo told Samoa Observer that Taito is facing disciplinary charges to be heard before the Police Disciplinary Tribunal.
He said the charges are not criminal charges.
Superintendent Hunt was suspended last week pending the result of an investigation into his role in the wreck.
The patrol boat was grounded after transporting officers to boost Police numbers during a vehicular rally around Savaii organised by the HRPP to highlight what they say was biased Supreme Court decisions.
An Australian salvage team will refloat and prepare the patrol boat for towing to Australia for repairs.
Language week held online
It's hoped Tonga Language Week - which began on Sunday - in New Zealand will have a wider reach by being virtual this year.
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio, said they've had to alter activities for the week so it works online, because of the lockdown restrictions.
"It gives us the opportunity by not only promoting and celebrating Tongan Language Week to the population of Aotearoa New Zealand, but by going virtual we're actually having a broader reach to the Pacific region and to the rest of the world," he said.
Aupito said the ministry has been able to learn from having run Samoa Language Week virtually last year.
New telco in Tonga
A third telecommunications network for Tonga has been launched in Nuku'alofa.
Called the WanTok Pacific Corporation, it is owned by the Toko Wireless (Tonga) company and WanTok Networks (Vanuatu).
Dennis Fuapau, Head of Commercial at Wantok Pacific Corporation in Tonga said the new local mobile operator will provide a full suite of additional telecom services to the kingdom.
The other two telecommunications companies operating in Tonga are TCC and Digicel.