Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Tonga Finance Minister takes issue with report on Nukualofa rebuild loan

Posted at 07:12 on 21 September, 2012 UTC

Tonga’s Minister of Finance, Lisiate ’Akolo, has questioned the figures shown in the parliament select committee’s report for the 50 million US dollar loan for the Nuku’alofa Reconstruction Project.

The committee had found the loan given to Tonga by China’s EXIM Bank was illegal because some of the spending had not been authorised, and it concluded somebody should face charges.

But Mr Akolo says top personnel at the company from which the select committee says it obtained the figures say they did not meet with the committee members.

Radio Tonga reports that the figures used in the report differ from the Treasury’s figures and Mr Akolo says the EXIM bank agrees with those.