Linda Simiki Folaumoetu’i is a Tongan lawyer and civil servant. Since 2019 she has served as Attorney General of Tonga, and is the first woman to ever serve in that role.

Linda Folaumoetu'i
Attorney General of Tonga
Assumed office
21 March 2019
Prime MinisterʻAkilisi Pōhiva
Pōhiva Tuʻiʻonetoa
Siaosi Sovaleni
Preceded byʻAminiasi Kefu

Folaumoetu’i was educated at the University of Auckland, University of the South Pacific, and University of Melbourne.[1] She worked as a legal officer for Tonga's Crown Law Department from 1993. In December 2006 she was appointed Solicitor General of Tonga.[1] As Solicitor-General, she was responsible for the unsuccessful prosecution of pro-democracy members of Parliament over the 2006 Nukuʻalofa riots.[2]

From 2008 to 2014 she worked as a litigation advisor to the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.[1] After returning to Tonga in 2015 she was appointed chief executive of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Relations.[3] In 2016 she was appointed to Tonga's Electoral Commission.[1][4] In June 2017 she was appointed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of Tonga as a Law Lord.[5][6]

In March 2019 she was appointed Attorney-General,[1] the first woman to hold the position.[7] As Attorney-General she considered laying treason charges against people criticising Tonga's royal family on Facebook,[8] and met with Facebook over a proposal to ban the service from Tonga.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Kalino Latu (27 March 2019). "Linda Folaumoetu'i appointed Tonga's new Attorney General". Kaniva Tonga. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Tongan MP pleads not guilty to abetting murder". Stuff. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Folaumoetu'i new ceo office of the commissioner for public relations". Kaniva Tonga. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  4. ^ "New appointments for Tonga Electoral Commission". Matangi Tonga. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  5. ^ "King appoints three new Law Lords". Matangi Tonga. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Three new Law Lords appointed by His Majesty". Kaniva Tonga. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Tonga gets first female Attorney General". RNZ. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Tongan police could lay treason charges after royal slander on Facebook". RNZ. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Tonga officials meeting Facebook in Aust over attacks". RNZ. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2022.