Tonga's Minister of Inland Revenue, Fe'ao Vakata, has denied allegations in the Kele'a newspaper that he had misused government funds.
The article this week accused him of misusing money allocated to him for his expenses on a trip to Australia in March.
That trip was later called off after the death of King George Tupou the 5th.
Radio Tonga reports that Mr Vakata has described the newspaper article as defamatory, but it confirms that the Minister had since repaid the money.
