After nearly a week on the run, a New Zealander who escaped jail in Tonga last week with two others, has been caught, the last of the three to be returned to custody.
Nine days ago, the three males escaped custody at the Central Police Station in Nuku’alofa.
Police say Liuaki Kokohu Vi, a 35-year-old New Zealand citizen of Tongan descent, was detained on Saturday alongside a 41 year-old Tongan man, who is alleged to have been an accomplice who harboured and assisted Vi.
A 16-year-old on remand for theft, Angelico Fa’aoa, was the first recaptured, in Mataika last Tuesday.
The second, Adam Hussein, a 35-year-old Fijian national, was caught last Thursday.
Police had offered TP$5000 (approx. NZ$3400) for information leading to each of the last two arrests.
Tonga’s Police Commissioner Geoff Turner warned that anyone assisting escapees could face up to 10 years in jail, while harbouring them carries up to three years.
There is no confirmation as to if the TP$5000 was claimed regarding either Hussein or Vi’s recapture.
Vi is the son of a man allegedly murdered by a US-based hitman after Customs intercepted 18kg of cocaine and firearms police believe were linked to an international organised crime syndicate.
