NZ Company Apologises To PM For Newspaper Articles

New Zealand Company Apologises To Prime Minister For Untrue And Defamatory Articles In Kele’a Newspaper

The New Zealand company, Horton Media Limited - the largest independent contract newspaper printer in New Zealand and Australia - has apologised to the Prime Minister, Dr the Hon. Feleti Vaka’uta Sevele, for having printed issues of the Kele’a newspaper that contained articles that were untrue and defamatory. Horton Media Limited has also made a payment towards the Hon Prime Minister’s legal costs of the proceedings.

Legal proceedings were lodged in the NZ High Court at Auckland in June against Horton Media Limited, as the printers of Kele’a newspaper, as well as the Owner (Siosiua Po’oi Pohiva), Publisher (Laucala Pohiva Tapueluelu), Editor (Mateni Tapueluelu), Managing Director of the NZ Branch of the Kele’a newspaper (Kalino Latu), plus one of its regular correspondents (Sione ‘Uhila Liava’a), in relation to articles published by the newspaper. The proceedings seek an order declaring that the relevant articles were untrue and defamatory of the Hon Prime Minister.

The statement of apology issued by the company and signed by Managing Director, Matthew Horton, stated:

“On 7 and 14 April 2010 and on 12 May 2010, Horton Media printed issues of the Kele’a newspaper for its publisher. Those issues contained a number of articles which made a series of allegations against Dr Sevele, the Prime Minister of Tonga.

“Horton Media accepts that the allegations made in the Kele’a were untrue and were defamatory of the Prime Minister. Horton Media apologises to the Prime Minister for any harm that the publication of those articles has caused.

The relevant articles and editorials relating to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Sinking of the MV Ashika’s report made a number of allegations against the Hon Prime Minister including, that the Hon Prime Minister had deliberately lied to the Royal Commission and had committed perjury, a criminal offence, and is guilty of manslaughter through negligence, and further that he is incapable of leading the country as he will be trying to avoid criminal liability.

The Hon Prime Minister lodged the claim with the NZ High Court to protect his reputation by seeking a declaration that the articles were untrue and defamatory. Horton Media Limited have now accepted that the allegations are untrue and defamatory.

The Kele’a has also alleged that the Hon Prime Minister improperly used his position to cause the Squash Council’s debt to be forgiven, caused the loan repayment to be accounted for in breach of prescribed processes in order to avoid public scrutiny, and that he had diverted aid money to himself. That allegation is also accepted by Horton Media Limited as being untrue and defamatory.

The Hon Prime Minister had lodged the claim with the NZ High Court to protect his reputation, as the loan to the Squash Council was made by the Tonga Development Bank before Dr. Sevele was appointed Prime Minister, and that he had no role whatsoever in the resolution of the loan.

A senior Government official said it was high time that the Kele’a, its owners and staff, were made to pay and apologise for their many untrue and defamatory attacks on people.

ENDS

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