Police admit they were handed mobile phone with hit & run images

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, Samoa – 31 May 2025 – Police witness Superintendent Tupai Sapani Leleimalefaga has admitted in court that the mobile phone claimed to have contained the images of the hit and run incident of 21 April 2021, was handed over to Corporal Ieremia Su’a.

Corporal Ieremia Su’a is the police officer accused of losing case files before resigning from the Ministry of Police and moving to American Samoa but has been re-employed at the Ministry and is one of the 76 police witnesses in the high profile case now in its first week in the District Court.

The existence of the mobile phone has become a mystery and the person who claimed he gave the police his mobile phone, Samuelu (Sam) Su’a is now in court as defendant against charges of conspiracy and misleading the police.

In the second day of cross examination by Sam’s lawyer Kathryn Dalziel , Superintendent Tupa’i’s finally admitted after he continued to deny any knowledge of Sam’s phone.

When asked about the existence of the mobile phone during his investigation, he said he had no knowledge of it.

“I don’t know because it was not given to us,” said Tupai.

He said the case file was given to him in December 2022 and there was no phone and suggested that perhaps it was with the team that did the first investigation into the unresolved hit and run accident that killed Tu’uau Maselino on 21 April 2021 at Vaitele.

However, it was noted that Sam only came into the picture two years later after the first investigation that took place in 2021.

According to Sam’s statement which Tupai read out in Court, he mentioned giving the mobile phone to a police officer but did not identify who it was.

Sam’s lawyer Kathryn Dalziel pointed out that the phone plays a critical part in the case because Sam’s evidence refers to a phone which he used to take pictures of the car suspected in the hit and run accident and also pictures of the deceased lying on the ground are all in the phone.

Sam also said after police denied his evidence, he went back to retrieve his mobile phone. Unfortunately, to date, it has not been returned.

When pushed further Tupai was reluctant to respond as he had been warned of referring to hearsay evidence.

Tupa’i’s evidence continues next week.