Tongan man admits trying to bribe cop with corned beef and chicken

Corned beef was one of the food items offered to police. Photo / Supplied

A Tongan man has pleaded guilty to trying to bribe a police officer with chicken and corned beef.

Fili Ta'ai, 56, was arrested on drugs charges last July.

While in custody, he offered a police officer a box of chicken, 3kg of corned beef, and three plastic bags of sweet potatoes for his release.

The officer immediately reported the bribery attempt to his superiors, resulting in a charge.

Matangi Tonga reports Ta'ai will be sentenced on the June 25.

Earlier this year, courts in Tonga dealt with a much more high-profile bribery case when former Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano was charged with accepting bribes in a passport approval case.

The bribery charges alleged that between 2013-2014, while Foreign Affairs Minister, Tu'ivakano accepted money for the issuance of Tongan passports to various Chinese nationals.

In March, Tu'ivakano was eventually found guilty of three charges, including making a false statement for the purpose of obtaining a passport and perjury.

In April he received a two-year sentence, fully suspended and a fine for passport, perjury and firearm offences.