Former Tongan Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’oneteoa has died, aged 71.
He was in the US on a medical appointment when he died.
Former Minister of Internal Affairs Sangster Saulala, who is a nephew of Tu’i’onetoa’s wife told Kaniva he received a message confirming Tu’i’onetoa has died in the US.
It is understood Tu’i’onetoa suffered from what appeared to be a chronic illness last year before he requested a medical leave from Parliament.
He was the country’s 17th Prime Minister.
Prior to his US medical treatment Tu’i’onetoa was sent to St George’s Private Hospital in Sydney in 2017 after he suffered an injury while Minister of Finance in the Late Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s Cabinet.
READ MORE:
- Could Tongatapu 10 MP Tu‘i‘onetoa’s continued medical absence lead to another by-election? – Kaniva Tonga News
- OP-ED: Nobility MPs apparent split in election reflects strong anti-Pōhiva Tu‘i‘onetoa stance – Kaniva Tonga News
- PM Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa “has to go” says Deputy PM Vuna Fā’otusia as he and others submit vote of no confidence motion against PM – Kaniva Tonga News
- Broadcaster describes Parliamentary press release as misleading; says many questions about the House’s responsibilities not answered – Kaniva Tonga News
He underwent spinal surgery after suffering a slipped disc, which compressed the spinal nerves.
“Surgeons fused the third, fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae together and replaced the disc between vertebrae four and five” he told Kaniva News in 2018.
Tu’i’onetoa’s tenure was characterised by a string of scandals since he became Prime Minister in 2019.
As Kaniva News has previously reported, the former Prime Minister’s multi-million pa’anga road project was mired in controversy from the start.
The Prime Minister was accused of practising nepotisms and breaching the Cabinet Manual’s conflict of interest rules. Hon. Tu’i’onetoa was accused of offering the contracts to companies which appeared to have been set up by friends and relatives of his Cabinet Ministers just to benefit from contracts.
Critics said none of them had provided roading services before.
The Hu’akavameiliku government scrapped the controversial roading project after Tu’i’onetoa was ousted in 2022.
Tu’i’onetoa was made a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Australia (FCMA) in 2021.
