Samoa Police

The operation was with the Cook Islands, Niue Police Services and it was supported by a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Orion P3 aircraft.

The joint maritime operation managed to board 8 foreign fishing vessels (FFV).

All FFV were fully complied with their fishing licences, according to Samoa Police.

The objective of the operation is to enforce each nation's maritime legislations in relation to illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing as well as transnational crime issues.

The matter came to light when the girl sought police assistance after she claimed that she was assaulted by her husband.

The alleged assault took place in a village on Savaii last week and police upon investigation discovered the victim is underage.

Police spokesperson Superintendent Sala’a Moananu Sale told local media the investigation will cover the girl’s parents as well as the accused who is between the ages of 40 and 45.

Marriage to 13 year old girls is legally prohibited in Samoa.     

This follows a failed mediation attempt by the Attorney General through a judiciary settlement in court with the plaintiff, Suitupe Misa.

Suitupe is suing the Ministry of Police, the former Minister of Police and the Police Commissioner for half a million US dollars for general damages, aggravated and punitive damages.

He said he was unlawfully arrested at gun point at Fugalei market in October 2015 without any criminal charges.

In a report, the Ombudsman Maiava Iulai Toma found the police raid was unlawful.

Police Spokesperson Su’a Le Mamea Tiumalu says any information that comes out of the Ministry of Police from a source other than himself or the acting Commissioner at the time, is to be labeled untrue or unofficial.

“The only information that is confirmed will come from the media spokesperson, or the acting commissioner of police, because some information that may come from a leakage cannot represent the situation entirely but instead a point of view,” he said.

A police corporal who is the complainant of charges of procuring, inciting, and counselling murder against the suspended police commissioner has also been suspended along with the police superintendent.

The timing of the suspensions, delivered to the Ministry of Police late Friday, has also been questioned because an application by the Police Commissioner's defense for access to evidence will be heard in court today.

A leaked copy of the cabinet decision said the suspension will allow an appropriate investigation based on the requirements of the law.

The suspended superintendent, Leiataua Luatimu Samau, is the officer investigating the more than 200 criminal charges against the suspended Police Commissioner, Fuiavailili Egon Keil.

RNZ reports, the suspended corporal is the complainant of charges of inciting to murder, procure to murder and counsel to murder against Fuiavailili.

The two other suspended officers were involved in the arrest of Fuiavailili only days after he was reinstated by cabinet after earlier charges against him were dropped for insufficient evidence.

RNZ reports the cabinet announced last month that it would investigate the conduct of a suspended assistant police commissioner Samoa Mulinuu Mulinuu as well as the many grievances raised by several senior officers in a petition against the suspended Police Commissioner Fuiavailili Egon Keil who faces 259 new criminal charges.

The PM's Office says government will not rush to settle this for a short-term fix.

It says there are many aspects to consider and with a key institution such as Samoa Police, the scope of the inquiry demands proper and purposeful consideration.

Defense counsel Komisi Koria did not object but applied to the Court to have all documents from prosecution available to them.

The court granted the application and ordered prosecution to provide documents to defense and adjourned the matter to next month.

After the mention, the Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Justice & Courts Administration, Papalii John Taimalelagi confirmed to the media, that as of Monday this week, 271 charges have been filed against Fuiavailili.

AFP representative, Peter Timson, declined to comment on reports they had threatened to pull out over an incident at the station when the Police Commissioner, Fuiavaiiliili Egon Keil, was arrested and charged.

The Samoa Observer was told by a reliable source that A.F.P officials had tried to intervene to speak to Fuiava but they were threatened. 

Asked for a comment Timson said: “We are still in Samoa and we are not leaving. 

“There are a lot of people that you can talk to about what happened. But I cannot comment at this stage.”

Police spokesperson Su’a Muliaga Tiumalu told a press briefing today that rumours of a divide in the ministry are untrue.

“There is no division amongst the ministry and I can say that all the sectors are working together just fine.”

“I can also say that whatever the events that unfolded in the beginning of the week and the attention that the Police is attracting at the moment is not hindering or obstructing how we do our job. We are still working hard and still timing in our hours of work and we’re still out here to serve our country,” said Su’a.