Poasi Tei

Poasi Mataele Tei (born 4 October 1967) is a Tongan politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga.[1]

The Honourable
Poasi Tei
Deputy Prime Minister of Tonga
In office
28 December 2021 – 10 August 2022
Prime MinisterSiaosi Sovaleni
Preceded byLord Maʻafu
Succeeded byVacant
Minister for Energy, Environment, Information and Climate Change
In office
4 January 2018 – 10 August 2022
Prime MinisterSiaosi Sovaleni
Pohiva Tuʻiʻonetoa
ʻAkilisi Pōhiva
Preceded bySiaosi Sovaleni
Minister for Public Enterprises
In office
28 December 2021 – 10 August 2022
Prime MinisterSiaosi Sovaleni
Preceded byPōhiva Tuʻiʻonetoa
In office
30 December 2014 – 4 January 2018
Prime MinisterʻAkilisi Pōhiva
Preceded byFe‘aomoeata Vakata
Succeeded bySaia Piukala
Member of Parliament
for Tongatapu 6
In office
27 November 2014 – 10 August 2022
Preceded bySiosifa Tuʻutafaiva
Succeeded byDulcie Tei
Personal details
Born (1967-10-04) 4 October 1967
Political partyNone

Tei was educated at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and an MBA.[2] Before entering politics he worked for the Statistics Department, as an accountant for the Tonga Co-operative Federation, Pacific Finance and Investment, Tonga Water Board and Tonga Airport Limited.[2]

Political career

He was first elected to Parliament as a Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands candidate at the 2014 Tongan general election, and was appointed as Minister for Public Enterprises in the ʻAkilisi Pōhiva Cabinet. In 2015 he attempted to remove two nobles as directors of the Tonga Broadcasting Commission, but the decision was later overturned by the courts.[3] He was re-elected at the 2017 election and appointed as Minister of Energy, Environment, Information and Climate Change (MEIDEEC).[4][5]

Following the death of ʻAkilisi Pōhiva Tei supported Pohiva Tuʻiʻonetoa for Prime Minister. He retained his portfolios in the Tuʻiʻonetoa's Cabinet.[6]

He was re-elected in the 2021 election.[7] On 28 December 2021 he was appointed to the Cabinet of Siaosi Sovaleni as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Public Enterprises, and Minister for Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Communications and Climate Change (MEIDECC).[8] On 13 May 2022 his election was declared void after the Supreme Court found him guilty of three counts of bribery in an election petition.[9][10] The conviction was stayed pending appeal on 26 May 2022.[11] On 9 August 2022 his appeal was dismissed, and his election confirmed as void.[12][13] He was formally unseated by Parliament on 10 August.[14] His wife Dulcie Elaine Tei won the resulting by-election.[15]

References
  1. "Poasi Mataele Tei". parliament.gov.to. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  2. "Hon. Poasi Mataele Tei appointed as the new Minister for Public Enterprises". Ports Authority Tonga. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. "The nobles win a case against the government". The Economist Intelligence Unit. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. "Prime Minister Pōhiva submits his cabinet lineup to the Tongan king". Asia-Pacific Report. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  5. "Tonga's Cabinet posts finally confirmed". RNZ. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  6. ""Prime Minister Announces New Cabinet Ministers"". Government of Tonga. 10 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 October 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  7. "Tonga elects all-male parliament with nine new People's Reps". Matangi Tonga. 18 November 2021. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  8. "PM names new government". Matangi Tonga. 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  9. "Four MPs have now lost seats in Tonga". RNZ. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  10. "Third Cabinet Minister disqualified as Tei found guilty of bribery in Tongatapu 6 contest". Kaniva Tonga. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  11. "Convicted Tongan MPs given stay by appeals". RNZ. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  12. "Appeals dismissed, three Cabinet Ministers elections void". Matangi Tonga. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  13. "Tonga court dismisses three Cabinet Ministers' electoral fraud appeals; upholds former PM's appeal". Kaniva Tonga. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  14. "Three Cabinet Ministers unseated". Matangi Tonga. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  15. "3 new MPS for Tongatapu decided in by-election". Matangi Tonga. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
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