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Pohiva: 'They Tried To Charge Me With Murder'
NiuFM - Tongan Riots: 'They Tried To Charge Me With Murder' ... Pohiva
Auckland, 5pm: Tongan MP Aikilisi Pohiva says Nukualofa police tried to charge him with murder but failed because they obviously had no case against him. The Kingdom of Tonga's leading pro-democracy campaigner is home today after two nights in police cells.
Pohiva says police have charged him with four counts of sedition but were originally aiming to lay murder charges for the seven deaths that resulted from the riots. The MP says police also had to release him today because they had no legal grounds to hold him.
Pohiva's lawyer, Clive Edwards, yesterday filed a petition in the courts for Pohiva to be allowed out earlier than the 14 days police had intended to hold him. He says the charges of sedition relate to different occassions, including a speech he gave on the day of the riot.
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