The people of the country are concerned about the status of the 11th Congressional District, which has been convicted by the Court.
Dr. Daniel Fusimaloh won the election of Eua 11, in the November 2025 Parliamentary Election, by 1,179 to 409 of the next candidate and was appointed to the position of Minister of Lands and Natural Resources. Tevita Lavemaau, also was a candidate of Eua 11, sued Dr. Fusimalohi for ‘bribery’ during the 3-month ban on Tongan Parliamentary Election law. On 8 June 2026, Chief Justice Paul Garlik KC found Dr. Fusimalohi guilty of this charge.
So, the questions that are coming up now are as follows:
- What is happening now?
- Did the Minister of Land and Natural Resources submitted an appeal to the Court of Appeal?
- If an appeal was filed, was a petition for ‘STAY’ submitted too?
Due to the appeal submissions by those who were convicted under the Parliamentary Election Laws, a special Appeal Hearing session has been set to be held July 7 – July 14th 2026. This is to ensure that the appeal hearings are conducted timely so that the Ministers or Parliamentary Representatives does not have to wait too long but to settle and into each of their responsibilities.
However, there are talks that the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources has not lodged an appeal with the Court of Appeal. This means that not all ministers who have been found to be in breach of the electoral laws have submitted an appeal to the appeal session of July 2026.
Questions then from the people:
- What is the right Parliament protocol for a Minister that has been convicted under the parliament electoral laws, if he/she has not submitted a ‘STAY’ application to the court of appeals?
- Is it only Tonga that experiences this in the world?
