An appeal by Tonga's Kele'a newspaper over a defamation ruling has been rejected by the Supreme Court.
The case concerned a letter published in 2014 which accused the then prime minister, Lord Tu'ivakano and his cabinet ministers of theft and embezzlement.
Seven ministers, including Lord Tu'ivakano, had successfully brought a case in the Magistrates Court, which had issued an order for compensation of US$26,000 dollars.
