OP-ED: Tonga’s $60 Million COVID Fund Disappeared — And Still, No One Is Held Accountable
Tonga is facing a scandal that strikes at the heart of our democracy: $60 million in COVID-19 relief funds has vanished — and no one seems to know where it went.
The Auditor General confirmed that no receipts, no financial records, and no documentation could be found to explain how the money was spent. Prime Minister Dr. ‘Aisake Eke and Speaker Lord Fakafanua acknowledged the lack of oversight and chalked it up to the chaos of the pandemic. But this isn’t good enough — not for a country governed by a Constitution that demands transparency and accountability.
What’s more disturbing is that Deputy Prime Minister Taniela Fusimālohi admitted that the systems were there — but the previous government failed to instruct ministries to follow them. In Parliament, he pointed fingers at the former Cabinet under Hu‘akavameiliku. In Tongan, he stated:
“Na‘e failure pe kapineti ia e ‘aho ke nau warned e ngaahi potungāue ke tauhi e lekooti he oku ‘osi ha pe ia he palakalafi 49. Osi mahino pe ‘oku fe‘unga e sisitemi.”
While Fusimālohi’s remarks reflect serious concern, his response falls short of what is needed. He told us what should have been done — but hasn’t backed calls for what must now be done. This isn’t just political history. It’s a present-day failure of government, and it’s far from over.
At the moment, there is a lot of noise in Parliament — mostly finger-pointing. But with $60 million clearly unaccounted for, the question must be asked: Why hasn’t the Prime Minister and Cabinet referred this matter to the police for formal investigation and recommendation?
If a private citizen lost even $6,000 without documentation, they’d be questioned. Here we are talking about $60 million — public and donor funds — with no record, no transparency, and no consequences.
Clause 53 of Tonga’s Constitution clearly outlines the Minister of Finance’s responsibility to provide an annual report to the Legislative Assembly detailing all money received and spent, including the nature of those expenditures. That didn’t happen. And that’s not just bad governance — it may be a breach of constitutional law.
This is not the first time Tonga has faced international scrutiny for financial mismanagement. The Auditor General has repeatedly warned about the government’s failure to keep proper records. The World Bank has flagged corruption risks and imposed compliance measures, while development partners have expressed concern about Tonga’s accountability standards.
Every ministry is equipped with its own accounting division. These departments are staffed and funded by taxpayers to ensure financial transparency and responsibility. Keeping receipts is not a favour to the public — it’s the bare minimum.
The explanation that COVID-19 was “unexpected” simply does not justify the scale of this failure. Emergencies are precisely when accountability matters most. If anything, that’s when governments must be extra vigilant about how funds are distributed.
There are only two reasonable explanations for what has occurred: gross incompetence or deliberate negligence. Either way, it’s unacceptable. And unless leaders take decisive action, public trust in Tonga’s democratic institutions will continue to decline.
The Deputy Prime Minister and the entire Cabinet should support a formal police investigation. They must stop treating this as a political football and start acting like custodians of the public good. The people deserve to know the truth, and those responsible must be held accountable.
This scandal is not just about money — it’s about the public’s right to transparency, the integrity of Parliament, and the credibility of our government. If Parliament cannot rise to meet this challenge, then it is failing in its duty to the people.
The public is watching. So are our development partners. And so is the next generation of Tongans, who deserve a better example of leadership than what we are seeing today.
Let us not bury this issue with recycled excuses. Let us demand action.
Melino Maka
