Police & Transnational Crime Unit Investigate an Executive Accused of Rape

By Lagi Keresoma

Apia, Samoa – 04 October 2023: The Samoa police are working with the Pacific Transnational Crime Unit (PTCU) in locating a hotel executive implicated in a rape complaint.

The accused is a foreigner recently recruited by one of the prominent hotels in Apia.

He left the country a few days after the alleged incident.

A senior police officer confirmed the involvement of PTCU in their investigation.

The complainant is a former police officer whose daughter is the victim of the alleged incident.

The complainant told Talamua that the incident happened on Wednesday 6^th September 2023 during his daughters shift at the hotel and, he filed a complaint with the police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Saturday 9^th September 2023.

He followed up his complaint with the police on Monday this week and was told the investigation is in progress but the missing link is the whereabouts of the accused hence the police teaming up with PTCU.

Being a former police investigative offer, he said police should have applied for a Departure Prohibition Order (DPO) hence the suspect slipping out of the country.

The PTCU is based in Samoa and joins the law enforcers of the Pacific in dealing with international criminal matters and is also linked to Interpol.

Since the complaint was lodged with police, it is alleged that the hotel management have threatened staff not to talk to the police about the incident.