2 Nov 2010

Tonga court quashes Dalgety perjury charge

12:42 pm on 2 November 2010

The Tonga Supreme Court has quashed a charge of perjury brought against Lord Ramsay Robertson Dalgety.

The charge was made after Lord Dalgety, who was the secretary of the Shipping Corporation of Polynesia, gave evidence during the commission of inquiry into the Princess Ashika tragedy.

He had denied links between the Corporation and a company called Ocean Pacific.

But Justice Robert Shuster dismissed the charge on a technicality, ruling the indictment was defective because it wasn't signed or dated by a responsible court official.

He also said an amended indictment couldn't be put because of that original defect.