Tongan noble dies suddenly

An Auckland lawyer, Tutoatasi Fakafanua, who was also a hereditary noble in Tonga, with the title Noble Fakafanua, has died suddenly in the capital, Nuku'alofa.

He quit his job as a Cabinet minister in Tonga in 2001 after a major scandal involving an American "court jester" allegedly lost millions of dollars from a royal trust fund, of which Noble Fakafanua was one of the trustees.

The office of Tonga's Prime Minister confirmed that Noble Fakafanua collapsed and died while on a morning walk, Matangi Tonga newspaper reported on its website.

He was the second Tongan noble to die this month.

His first cousin, Noble 'Ahome'e, 35, died suddenly in the United States and was flown to Tonga on Thursday for burial.

- NZPA