Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi

The judiciary is warning anyone who stands in the way of its ruling could face criminal penalties.

Tuila'epa's announcement last night also included a warning to the judiciary that it was over-reaching its powers by seeking to limit his own, reports the Samoa Observer.

The publication reported Tuila'epa saying that one arm of Government should not "like Hitler" seek to assert its authority over another.

Tuilaepa’s statement was announced as measures to address the Government Budget 2021-2022 as today 30 June is the last day of the current Fiscal Year from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.

According to Tuilaepa, Government is yet to “convene a properly constituted Legislative Assembly in accordance with Articles III and 44 of the Constitution of the Independent State of Samoa for reasons that are already well known and under dispute.”

It was filed by the prime minister-elect, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, in the latest twist in a two-month political crisis.

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi is named alongside the speaker of parliament, the clerk of the legislative assembly, and the attorney general.

The FAST party, which won April's election, accuses the four of contempt for ignoring a Supreme Court order to convene parliament, at which point FAST should have been sworn in as government.

They were forced to hold an ad-hoc swearing outside - the legitimacy of which is also subject to legal challenge.

Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, speaking formally as the country's elected prime minister, slammed the behaviour Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and his Human Rights Protection Party.

Fiame's FAST party, which won the most seats in last month's election, and the previous ruling party, HRPP, are waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on several contentious issues.

Speaking in a broadcast from FAST headquarters she said MPs and officials must move from their roles and offices and allow the public service to focus on its work in a business-like and orderly way.

Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi's comments came after protests were directed against him in front of the Supreme Court.

He told the Samoa Observer "I am appointed by God" so protests were futile in front of the judiciary who he said had no bearing on his appointment.

The incumbent governing party HRPP and newcomers FAST, have been locked in a deadlock over who can form a government, since general elections last month.

Malele Atofu was arrested and locked in police custody for the second time.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi is alleged to have been defamed in the first social media video rant by King Faipopo which resulted in his arrest three months ago.

Tuila'epa is one of the prosecution witnesses in the case against Faipopo.

The defendant's application for the matter to be quashed because Samoa has no jurisdiction to hear the case will be heard next Monday.

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi won a silver medal in the mixed recurve team event at the 2007 Games in Apia and announced at the weekend his intention to represent Samoa once again at the 2019 event on home soil.

President of the Archery Samoa Federation, Muaausa Joseph Walter, competed alongside the Prime Minister 12 years ago and said he always expected the 74-year-old would want to give the Games another crack.

"When he competes with us I suppose he takes off his Prime Minister hat and he's part of the group," he said.

He is the longest serving prime minister in the Pacific region.

In his weekly radio interview, Tuila'epa said doctors had reassured him he was in good health with a heart that beats like a jet engine.

He succeeded the former Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alesana.

Tuila'epa has been an MP since 1980 after working as a public servant and a diplomat.

Tuilaepa told the Lowy Institute in Sydney that climate change posed an "existential challenge" to low lying islands in the Pacific, and developed countries needed to reduce pollution in order to curb rising temperatures and sea levels.

"We all know the problem, we all know the solutions, and all that is left would be some political courage, some political guts, to tell people of your country there is a certainty of disaster," he said.

Tuilaepa described same sex marriage as an abomination and a "Sodom and Gomorrah practice" at his weekly media conference on Friday.

He said there is no true Christian country in the world which would allow it and it would not be allowed in Samoa as long as it remained a Christian country.

Tuilaepa and his Human Rights Protection Party changed the country's constitution earlier this year to formally make Samoa a Christian state.