Tonga Copra Board Has "Lost"

Thousands Of Dollars

From SIO MAGISI in Nukualofa

Tonga’s Agricultural Council

has, at long last, woken up to the fact that thousands of Tongan dollars have mysteriouslv o'",?* <■“

the Tonga Copra Board.

Justifiably, it recently called for extensive checking of the board’s finances and specially asked the government auditor, Mr. Don Meister, to investigate—the first time in the history of the board that the auditor has been specifically required to do so. In the past, auditing of the board’s finances was done by a private man in Tonga and later by a public accountant from Fiji.

Investigations are by no means over, but already more than $90,000 (equivalent to about the same amount in Australian currency) has been found missing from the board’s funds. Several board employees, including senior clerks entrusted with large amounts of money, have been suspended pending the full results of the inquiries.

One has been found to be in the clear by the auditor, and possibly

one or two others may be in the same position, This $90,000 represents about four P er cent ‘ of . Tonga’s national yearly income.

There are about 8,000 coconut growers in the whole of Tonga, so would be fair to hypothesise t * iat at one time or another, each g r 9 wer has contributed $6 toward tllls shortage.

When it was first reported, the shortage found at the board’s cafe teria at Havelu (a few miles south of downtown Nukualofa), was $20,000. The audit department has now unearthed a shortage close to double this figure, and, judging by Pattern of events, more shortages he found in other sections of the board.

So that it would be a fair predic tion to place the total amount miss ing as at least $lOO,OOO. A lot of money in a place like Tonga, and I for one hope the authorities will show no mercy in rooting out those responsible.