Tonga's Appeal Court has halved the fines handed down to the Shipping Corporation of Polynesia for its part in the sinking of the Princess Ashika.
The company was convicted on five counts of sending an unseaworthy ship to sea and one charge of manslaughter by negligence, resulting in fines of two million pa'anga, or 1.07 million US dollars.
BroadCom Radio 89.5FM's Monalisa Palu says the fine for the manslaughter charge has been upheld.
"However the 200,000 dollar fine for each of the five other charges have beenr educed to a nominal fee of 100 pa'anga and the Court said that whether or not Shipping Corporation of Polynesia's able to pay this is a different matter, it was more to send out a message to agencies and to those who are responsible for others to be more careful and to take heed when they take on these responsibilities."
BroadCom Radio 89.5FM's Monalisa Palu in Tonga.
