Malakai Fakatoufifita
|
The Honorable Lord Tuʻilakepa |
|
|---|---|
| Born | Malakai Fakatoufifita |
| Residence | Vava'u, Tonga |
| Nationality | Tongan |
| Citizenship | Tongan |
| Education | Liahona High School |
| Occupation | Politician, Nobleman |
| Years active | (1977-present) |
| Employer | Kingdom of Tonga |
| Parent(s) |
Tu'imala Fakatoufifita (Mother) |
| MP for Vava'u | |
|
Assumed office 2005 |
|
| Monarch | Tupou VI |
| Preceded by | Lord Veikune |
| Speaker of the Tongan Legislative Assembly | |
|
In office 29 April 2008 – 3 December 2010 |
|
| Monarch | Tupou VI |
| Preceded by | Hon. Havea Tui'ha'angana |
| Succeeded by | Lord Tupou of Kolofo'ou |
Tu'imala Fakatoufifita (Mother)
'Isi Fifita (Father)
Malakai Fakatoufifita, styled Lord Tuʻilakepa, is a Tongan noble, politician, and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga.
Fakatoufifita was educated at Liahona High School in Tonga and in the USA.
He was appointed as the 15th holder of the Tu'ilakepa title in 1977, with the estates of Talasiu in Tongatapu and Ofu, Okoa and Vasivasi in Vavaʻu.
Fakatoufifita worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources before entering politics. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly as a noble representative for Vavaʻu in the 1993 election, serving for one term. He was re-elected in 2005, and subsequently in 2008 and 2010.
In April 2008, he was appointed Speaker of the Tongan Legislative Assembly by King George Tupou V. His term ended when he was charged on 3 December 2010 on firearms charges.
On 3 December 2010 he was arrested on firearms charges following a series of drug raids across the country. On 9 December 2010 he was charged with two counts of possession of an illegal firearm, two counts of possession of illegal ammunition, and one count of possession of an illegal drug, and released on bail. If convicted, he would lose his seat in Parliament. Before his trial, however, Parliament adopted an amendment to the Arms and Ammunition Act, lessening the potential sentence that he faced (and which Lord Tuʻihaʻateiho was facing on a similar charge), so that if convicted he would nonetheless retain his seat in Parliament. The Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands, which had opposed the amendment, asked the King to veto it. In January 2012, the King vetoed the amendment bill.
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