Former Cook Islands deputy PM Robert Tapaitau, along with two others from his administration, has been imprisoned for various fraud charges. High Court Chief Justice Patrick Keane sentenced Tapaitau to two years and nine months behind bars, finding him guilty on multiple charges, including using documents for financial gain and conspiracy to defraud. Nga Puna, former National Environment Service director, received a five-year sentence, while Diane Charlie-Puna, former Infrastructure Cook Islands secretary, was given 18 months. A by-election for Tapaitau’s Penrhyn seat has already taken place, won by his wife, Sarakura Tapaitau.
By FCCT Editorial Team
, an independent military force, and allied militias in Sudan raped several dozen women and girls in West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, and those fleeing to Chad between late April and late June 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. The assailants appear to have targeted people because of their Massalit ethnicity and, in some cases, because they were known activists.){kind=link}