Former PM security officers drilled on their presence at her private meetings

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, SAMOA – 01 August 2026 – Two former security officers of former Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa were questioned in court by defence counsel on their presence at her private meetings.

The officers were two of the five police witnesses who took the stand yesterday in the case against Lise Marie Schmidt who is facing 19 charges including conspiracy, defamation, and misleading the police.

The charges stem from a letter Lise wrote to the Head of State and copied the then police commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo and former Attorney General that she was allegedly instructed by Fiame to remove evidence from the Vavau Beach Fales, relating to the death of Caroline Gabbard in May 2024.

The police investigation found no evidence to support the allegations and charged Lise hence the hearing now in progress before District Court Judge Papalii Alalatoa Rosela Papalii.

Of the five witnesses that gave evidence yesterday, two are employees of the Vavau Beach Fales, the other is Figel’s cousin and two police constables.

Defense counsel Katherine Delzel questioned Corporal Sio Sapa’u and Corporal Lealofi Leavasa whether they attended Fiame when she had private meetings.

Both confirmed that their responsibility was Fiame’s safety and they were always present at all her meetings.

When asked if they were also present during Cabinet meeting, they said “no”.

Sapa’u later admitted that there were meetings where they were told to wait outside while Fiame had her private meetings.

Leavasa on the other hand insisted throughout his evidence that they are always present even at her private meeting.

Judge Papalii wanted to know the time the police security officers duty started which is from 6.00am to 10.00pm.

She also wanted to know if they were present when Fiame had coffee with a friend or doing her private errands.

Sapa’u said yes.

No running sheets
Both witnesses identified what they did on February 5 to February 7, 2025, but could not provide a documented running sheet of their work.

They also could not provide running sheets of the general police who guard the gate to Fiame’s house.

They also clarified their duties at Fiame’s house, which they said was to monitor the people and cars that come to the house.

Asked if they search the people, both responded that they do not but they use their training to just by looking at the person to know if they are armed or not.

Vavau Beach resort employees gave evidence
Mita’i Liliau and Losalosi Malologa Tu’u of Vavau Beach Fales gave evidence told the court that they both went in search of Sia Figiel after Mita’i informed him that she was missing.

In yesterdays’ hearing, they retold the story of how Figiel arrived late in the evening asking to stay at one of the fales despite being told that there was no electricity.

She ended up staying and Mita’i stayed in the resort to look after her but was nowhere to be seen in the early morning hours. Her car was still at the resort.

They told the court how they found Figiel lying on the rocks (papa) by the beach and they persuaded her to return to the fale. They formed the opinion that she was not in a good state of mind.

Figiel’s cousin gave evidence
Palesavali Toomalatai is Figiels cousin and a neighbor at Vaivase-Tai. She told the court what she heard and saw on 24 May 2024 and 26 May 2024.

She did not see Figiel but could hear loud Christian music coming from her house and there was a black car in the front, so she went about her own business.

Around 5.00pm on the same day, she returned home and saw Figiels front door locked; there was no car in front of the house, and she thought she had gone out with friends.

“There was nothing suspicious,” she said.

Later in the evening she saw a young boy about 16 years old trying to open the front doors and when he could not, he looked for something under the rocks. The boy left, however, on Saturday morning, she saw the same boy with his father approaching Figiels house.

On Sunday, returning from church, she saw police cars in front of the house and automatically she thought something had happened.

She was later told someone had died in the house.

Throughout her evidence, she explained Figiels mental condition, and she told the court she had known that Figiel had tried to end her life several times before.

She spoke of the time they were living in American Samoa and Figiel was rushed to the hospital over an overdose and there were times they had to look for her.

Sia Figiel was charged with the murder of Sinavaiana Caroline Gubbard and she died in her prison cell before the Court delivered its decision on the case.

She was the police key witness in the current case against Lise.

The trial continues.