MPs excused from Court due to the Constitutional Crisis

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, Samoa – 30 May 2025 – District Court Judge Talasa Atoa Saaga has excused the defendants, MPs Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt and Fepuleai Faimata Su’a from being present in their Court hearing due to the current Constitutional crisis after the national budget was defeated in Parliament on Tuesday this week resulting in a call for an early election.

Defense counsel Richard Merchant KC made the application and informed the Court that both defendants will be updated on the progress of the hearing on a daily basis.

Prosecution did not oppose as long as the conditions of bail remained.

Judge Saaga then made an order for the two defendants to refrain from commenting about the case on social media and to refrain from contacting prosecution witnesses.

Both are sitting Members of Parliament and Laauli is a former Speaker and former Cabinet Minister and leader of the Faatuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party and Fepuleai is a founding member of the Party.

The MPs are two of six defendants in the court case in progress in the District Court and charged with conspiracy to divert the cause of justice, fabricating evidence to mislead police. The charges link to the unresolved hit and run case that killed a university student at Vaitele a few days after the general elections in April 2021.

The trial started on Monday this week and two prosecution witnesses have been cross examined so far. They include the Commissioner of Police, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo and the Police Superintendent Tupai Sapani Leleimalefaga who was the investigating officer for the hit and run case.