Tangata Tonga-Mauli, Mina Wharepouri, ‘Uluaki Fakanofo Sea Fakamaau; Langa’i Tu’unga Kau Fakamaau Lahi Ma’a Tongá ^Featured

Manukau, Auckland Saute, Nu’usila − ‘I he ‘ahó ni, ‘e faka-fuakava’i ‘a Mina A. Wharepouri − ko e ‘uluaki tangata tupu’i Tonga, konga Mauli − ke hoko ko e fakamaau ‘i he Vahefonua Manukau, ‘i he tafa’aki Tonga ‘o Auckland, Nu’usila. Ko e kau eni ki hono langalanga’i ha kau fakamaau taukei ke fili mei ai ‘a e kau fakamaau ki he Fakamaau’anga Lahi ‘o Tongá. ‘Oku lolotonga te’eki ai ha kau fakamaau Tonga kuo nau ma’u taukei ke fakatatau mo e kau fakamaau muli kuo fili mai ki he Fakamaau’anga Lahi ‘o Tongá talu mei a Siaosi Tupou I, mo Siaosi Tupou II.

Ko e taha eni ‘o e koloa ‘a Tonga ke lehilehi’i, pea faka’ai’ai e to’utupú ‘oku nau fie ako laó, ke faka-tokolahi’i e kau fakamaau tupu’i Tonga ‘oku nau me’a ‘i he sea Fakamaau Lahi ‘o Tongá. Kuo tokolahi, pea kuo ongoongoa 'a Tongá ni 'i he tokolahi 'o e kau ako lelei 'i he ngaahi mala'e kehekehe. Kā 'oku tokosi'i fau 'a e kau ako mo e taukei ngāue ko e kau fakamaau 'i he ngaahi fakamaau'anga 'i muli.

‘I he lolotongá ni foki ‘oku ‘ikai ha taha Tonga ‘e fe’unga ki he tu’unga mā’olungataha ‘o e Fakamaau’anga Lahí − Tu'i Fakamaau Lahi. Ko e kau papālangi pe kuo fakanofo kenau me’a ‘i he sea ‘o e Fakamaau’anga Lahí, kau ki ai ‘a e sea ‘o e Tu’i Fakamaau Lahí, mo e kau Fakamaau Tangí. ‘Oku taukei pe ‘a e kau fakamaau Tongá ki he ngaahi sea ‘o e ngaahi Fakamaau’anga Polisí (lower courts).

Kuo te’eki ai fakanofo ha Tonga ki he sea ‘o e Fakamaau Lahí ‘i Tongá, pea pehē foki ki he sea ‘o e kau fakamaau tangí. Ko e kau fakamaau papālangi pē ‘oku nau ma’u e taukei mo e ako fe’unga ‘i he kuohilí, koe'uhi kuo nau taukei ko e kau fakamaau 'i he ngaahi fakamaau'anga mā'olunga 'i mulí.

MAMAHA MATAVAI KAU FAKAMAAU TAUKEI 'A TONGÁ

‘Oku lolotonga mamaha ‘aupito ‘a e matavai kau tupu’i Tonga ’oku kumi mei ai ‘a e kau fakamaaau ki he Fakamaau’anga Lahi ‘o Tongá. Na’e toki ‘osí eni foki ‘a e hopo tālā ‘a “Tapueluelu vs. Kalauní (2016)” ‘a ia na’e ‘omai a e kau fakamaau mei muli ‘o tānaki atu ki ai ‘a 'Eiki Lao Tevita P. Tupou. Ka kuo te’eki ai ha taukei fakamaau ‘i muli ‘a Eiki Lao Tevita Tupou ke tatau ‘ene taukei mo e kau papālangí. Ko ‘ene taukei loea pē mo e Fakamaau Polisi (magistrate) ‘i Tongá ni pē.

Na’e fakanofo ‘a ‘Eiki Lao Tupou ko e ‘eiki fakamaau ‘i Tongá ‘e He ‘Ene ‘Afió George Tupou V, ‘i he 2008, pea ‘oku me’a ‘i he Kōmiti Lao ‘a e Fakataha Tokoni ‘a ‘Ene ‘Afió.

Hangē kiate au 'oku totonu ke feinga 'a 'Eiki Lao Tupou ke folau 'o hoko ko ha fakamaau 'i he ngaahi fakamaau'anga mā'olunga 'i mulí ke fakatatau ki he kau fakamaau papālangi kuo 'omai ki Tongá ni. Ko Fakamaau Wharepouri ko ‘ene fa’ē Tonga ko Melenaite Vaka, ko e ‘ōfefine ‘o Vinola Cook ‘o Helemonga, Kolomotu’a, Tongatapu, Tonga. Na’e fakahā ‘a e fakanofo ‘o Fakamaau Wharepouri ‘e he ‘Āteni Seniale Christopher Finlayson QC ‘o Nu’usilá, ‘i ‘Epeleli.

Pea kuo fake-mafai ia 'e he Palēmia 'o Nu'usilá tupunga pe mei he mā'opo'opo 'o e puipuitu'a e ngāue lavage'a 'a Mina Wharepouri. Ko e kau fakaafe tokolahi ‘oku nau kau mai ki he Fuakava Lakanga ‘o Mina Wharepouri ‘i Manukau, 'i he 'ahó ni.Tokolahi ‘e kau taki ‘o e kakai Mauli tenau ‘i ai; pea ‘e takimai ‘e he Konisela Tongá Lenisiloto ‘Aho ‘a e kau fakafofonga ‘o e Pule’anga Tongá. Pea kuo fetu’utaki foki ‘a e Pule’anga Nu’usilá mo e ‘Ōfisi ‘o e Palasi ‘o Tongá ki he ‘Ene ‘Afio Siaosi Tupou VI.

TAUKEI FAKALAO FUOLOA: LOEA MO E TALATALAAKI ‘A E PULE’ANGA NZ

Na’e kamata ‘a e ngāue fakalao ‘a Fakamaau Wharepouri ‘i he kautaha lao ko e Kensington Swan ‘i he 1995. Na’e hokoatu ki he Russell Mcveigh in 1997 ‘a ia na’ane taukapo’i ‘ai ‘a e ngaahi hopo ‘eke’i kelekele ’a e ngaahi matakali Maulí tokolahi ‘i he Fakamaau’anga Lahí, mo e Fakamaau’anga Tangí ‘o Nu’usilá. Vaha’a ‘o e 2003 mo e 2011, na’e hiki ‘o ngāue ‘i he Fakamaau’anga Lahi Vahefonua Meredith Connell, mo e ngaahi hopo sulá. Na’a ne fakahinohino foki ‘a e kau polisi ‘o e vahefonuá ki he fakatotolo’i ‘o e ngaahi me’a fakamo’oni mo hono hopo’í.

‘I he 2012, hoko ai ko e loea faka-fo’ituitui ‘o hopo’i e ngaahi hopo lalahi ‘o a’u ki he Fakamaau’anga Lahí mo e Fakamaau'anga Tangí. Na’e kamata ‘a e faka’amu mo e fekumi ki he ngāue faka-laó ‘a Wharepouri ‘i he Kolisi ‘Otahuhu, ‘i he vahefonua Tonga ‘o Auckland. Lolotonga ‘e ne femo’uekina ‘i he ongoongo ‘o e ‘apiakó ni ‘i he sipotí mo e ngaahi va’inga tu’ukimu’á, na’e lotolahiange ‘a ‘e ne ongo mātu’á ke mālohiange ‘e ne ako faka-‘ataman. Na'e hokoatu ai ki he Auckland University, pea ki he Cambridge University 'i Pilitānia.

TOKOTAHA FAKATĀTĀ FALALA’ANGA KI HONO MATAKALI

Ko e faka’ilonga ‘o ha tangata ako pea lavame’a, ko ‘e ne faka’aonga’i hono potó ke tokoni’i hono kāingá, pea ne manatu’i hono tupu’angá. ‘Oku sio hake ki ai ‘a e to’utupú ko e fakatātā lelei, pe ‘oku mo’umo’ua pē ia ‘i he ‘ene langa hono ngeiá mo hono tu’unga mā’olunga ‘i he Pule’angá mo e longa’i kakaí. “‘Oku ‘ikai faikehekehe ‘eku ngāue ko e talatalaaki ma’a e Kalauní pe ‘oku ou ngāue faka-loea. Ko e taumu’a ‘o hoku fatongiá ke faka’eke’eke ‘a e fehu’i totonú, ‘i he taimi totonú, ‘i he founga totonú. Pea ‘oku ou fai ia ‘i he faka’amu ‘e ma’u ai ‘a e totonú,” fakamatala ia ‘a Mina Wharepouri.

Tokolahi e kau loea malu’ikolo ‘oku nau fakamo’oni ki he faingata’a ‘o e fetaulaki mo e kakai mo ‘enau ngaahi faingata’a fakalaó. ‘Oku tui ‘a Wharepouri ko e founga leleitaha mo totonu ko e mahino’i mo hono fakamatala fakaikiiki ‘a e ngaahi founga ‘o e fakamaau’angá ko e hala vavetaha ia ke mahino ki he kakaí. “‘Oku ou feinga mo fie fakahoko totonu ‘a hono faka-faingofua’i ‘a e lea faka-laó ke mahino ngofua. Pea ‘oku fa’a faka-‘ohovale, ko e tokolahi tatau aipe ‘e ‘oku kehekehe honau tupu’angá, ‘oku nau ‘atamai poto ‘o mahino ngofua kiate kinatolu ‘a e ngaahi kupu faingata’a ‘o e laó.

“Ka kuo u fakamo’oni’i ko e tokolahi ‘oku nau fetu’utaki mo e nima ‘o e laó mo e fakamaau totonú (justice), ko e tokolahitahá ko e kau Mauli mo e kakai ‘o e ngaahi ‘otumotu ‘o e Pasifikí, pea mei he fa’ahi mā’ulalotaha ‘i he tu’unga faka-‘ekonōmika ‘o e fonuá. Pea taimi lahi foki ‘oku nau omi ko ‘enau fiema’u ha tokoni ‘a e loea, ka ko e taimi ‘e ni’ihi ko ‘enau fiema’u ha tokoni mei he kau ngāue tokoni faka-koló; pe ko ‘enau fiema’u ke fakapapau’i ange ha me’a ke faka-lotolahi’i ai kinautolu; pe ko e pōtalanoa pē mo ha tokotaha falala’anga ‘oku mahino ki ai honau faingatā’iá.

“‘Oku hulu ‘a fepakipaki ‘a e faikehekehe ‘o faka’amu ‘a e tokotaha fekumi tokení, mo e fatongia ‘oku faka-mafai mai ki he kau ngāue ‘o e fakamaau’angá. Ka ko e tokolahi ‘o e si’i kakai ‘oku mau kaungā fetu’utaki mo kinautolú, kuo te’eki ai ha taha kuo taukei ke tu’u hake ‘o taukapo’i mo faka-fekikihi’i faka-lao ke malu’i kinautolu. Pea ‘o kapau ‘oku te mateuteu kita ke tauikapo’i kinautolu, ‘oku nau kei fiemālie pē kinautolu neongo ko e hā ‘a e tu’utu’uni ‘a e laó,” fakamatala fakaikiiki ia ‘a Fakamaau Wharepouri.

HIGH PROFILE CASES IN WHAREPOURI’S EXCELLENT RESUMÉ

Judge Wharepouri has prosecuted and defended dozens of high profile murder trials, complicated drug trials, and the full spectrum of sexual and violent offending. His proven track record includes over 150 criminal jury trials (including 15 homicide trials). Some of Mina’s more high profile cases include: R v Makalima (2014), Mina defended Josh Makalima charged with being a party to the murder of a rival gang member Daniel Turner. Mr Turner had been murdered after being lured to an address during a period of escalating gang violence between local gangs.

The jury acquitted Makalima of murder. R v Cooper (2012), Mina defended James Cooper charged with the murder of Javed Mills. Mr Cooper was acquitted of murder. R v Frewer (2011), Mina prosecuted Matthew Frewer and several others in Operation Pave. The trial concerned a multi-million dollar drug syndicate run from London that smuggled ecstasy pills inside Harrods gift baskets. The crime syndicate then distributed the drugs throughout the country.

R v Skinner (2010), where Mina and Simon Moore QC (now Justice Moore) prosecuted John Skinner for the murder of Sergeant Don Wilkinson. Skinner was under Police surveillance as a suspected methamphetamine manufacturer. Mr Skinner shot Sergeant Wilkinson with a powerful air rifle after catching him trying to install a tracking device on his Ford Explorer car. R v Zhou (2009), Mina and Ross Burns prosecuted several defendants in Operation Manu.

The operation concerned an organised Asian crime syndicate, supplying and distributing approximately $3.7 million of methamphetamine throughout Auckland, Waikato, and the Bay of Plenty. R v Fa (2007), Mina and Ross Burns prosecuted David Fa for the murder of Stuart Stone.

Mr Fa was convicted following trial. The conviction was later overturned on appeal when Mr Fa was determined by two psychiatrists to be insane. R v Ajiel & Anor (2004), Mina and Ross Burns prosecuted two men for forging and supplying false passports (from 17 different countries) that Police suspected were to be used in international terrorism.

Mina has also conducted and defended complex regulatory prosecutions involving government agencies like the IRD, Customs, FMA, SFO, and the Commerce Commission.

(Sione A. Mokofisi is an international syndicated columnist living in the Tonga. He is Director of English, Journalism & Business Management at Moana Uni-Tech − formerly Tonga International Academy. He holds a MBA from the University of Phoenix−Arizona; BS from Brigham Young University−Hawaii; AA from Mesa Community College−Arizona. His opinion does not necessarily reflect that of this Website. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).