Samoa Police

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.

“We scrutinized the video evidence given to us by the affected company and we searched a Chinese restaurant in Matautu Tai. We found a bunch of forged debit cards in the rubbish bin inside the restaurant,” said Acting Police spokesperson, Su’a Le Mamea Tiumalu.

“We apprehended two of suspects from there. At the moment the total missing is approximately more than $17,000 tala and we are still trying to find where it’s gone,” said Su’a.

In a media briefing Police spokesperson, Inspector Maotaoalii Kaioneta Aliisolia confirmed the existence of gangs comprising of young people.

“These are the things the Samoa Police have been preparing for,” Maota said.

“And now that they have come out and we have recognized some of them, we’re going to show them how the law works around this island. We have no room for hooligans and misfit teenagers in the urban area,” he added.

The vehicles include a 16-seater Hi-ace van for the training unit and a four-wheel drive van for the Armoury.

The inmates escaped from one of the prison cell blocks last Saturday night after drilling a hole in a concrete wall.

They were recaptured by police after two days on the run.

The police spokesperson, Su'a Muli'aga Tiumalu, says the temporary security assistance will enable the police to share their experience after managing Samoa's prisons for many years.

Last year the Government set up a separate division to run the prison service.

The other two include a 45 year old man and the 26 year old daughter of a business woman.

The 42 year old Indian woman was a sponsored employee of the Samoan business woman and now works for the woman’s daughter who is also held by police in the raid.

The Ministry of Police spokesperson Superintendent Su’a Muliaga Tiumalu said all three adults will appear in Court on this Thursday 6th August 2015 while the teenage boy’s case is referred to the Youth Court for mention.