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Late MP’s wife lodges Defamation Complaint against HRPP Leaders
By Lagi Keresoma
Apia, Samoa – 10 October 2023: The wife of the late Member of Parliament, Vaele Iona Sekuini has lodged a complaint with police against former Prime Minister and Human Rights Protection Party leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and Secretary Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi.
Tupuola Mati Sekuini’s complaint is based on a video clip that went viral where Lealailepule claimed that Tupuola admitted to the Police Commissioner, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo that it was her late husband who was involved in a hit and run incident that killed a young university student in April 2021.
The case remains unresolved.
The claim also said that the reason behind Tupuola’s alleged admission was because she was scared that her children were suddenly getting sick.
Speaking to Talamua, Tupuola sternly denied ever making such claims to the Police Commissioner, then she described the sequence of her visits to the police station.
On 18th September 2023, she wrote a letter to Auapaau asking him for assistance to put an end to the misinformation circulated on social media.
“That letter was not a complaint but seeking help as her late husband’s name has been linked to allegations of the unresolved hit and run case and that was taking a toll on her family and her children,” said Tupuola.
However, after she saw Lealailepule’s video clip and Tuilaepa repeating Lealailepule’s claims, she then presented the same letter of 18 September 2023 as an official complaint to the police.
Not feeling comfortable with the first complaint, she lodged a second complaint of defamation against Tuilaepa and Lealailepule.
Tupuola said that police told her that it takes 21 days for the investigative officer to update her on her complaints. That timeframe ends this week and she is looking forward to an update from police on where her two complaints lie.
The Commissioner of Police mentioned in Lealailepule and Tuilaepa’s claims as having spoken to Tupuola, has not responded to a number of media enquiries to confirm or refute these claims.
Meanwhile, a witness named Samuelu that police had interviewed on the case for the past five months has gone on social media and revealed what he told police including what he claimed as evidence captured on his mobile phone that implicates the person involved in the unresolved hit and run case.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Papalii Monalisa Keti told Talamua that police did follow up Samuelu’s evidence and could not be verified and that the case remains open.
Conspiracy to murder claims
Other than the unresolved hit and run case, Samuelu also claimed that there was also an attempt to murder two Cabinet Ministers and that the gun given to him for that purpose is now back with police.
The gun according to Samuelu, was given to him by the person he implicated in the unresolved hit and run incident.
Police are not taking up the conspiracy to murder claims and the two cabinet ministers named remain without police protection.
In the meantime, Lealailepule says he is taking legal action against one of the Cabinet Ministers that Samuelu says was one of the targets in the conspiracy to murder claims and the media outlets that interviewed Samuelu.
The manner in which the unresolved case has played out on the media and ensuing police investigations, has cast doubt and public confidence in the police.
Two weeks ago, Cabinet asked for the Attorney Generals advice in establishing the process to obtain overseas investigators into the unresolved case, the protection of the evidence and witnesses and the cabinet ministers mentioned in the reported conspiracy to murder claim.
Police have since been looking for the witness Samuelu to be charged following his latest claims made in the media.
