Police to finalize charges on 3 locals with suspected links to Vietnam shooting

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, SAMOA – 9 June 2026: The court has granted an adjournment for police to finalize the charges against the three locals accused with alleged links to the recent shooting in Vietnam.

The accused are James Atua and his girlfriend Nakitah Charles and Fred Papalii.

Atua is charged with corruption, misleading and bribery while his girlfriend is facing charges of corruption and bribery.

Fred Papalii is charged with misleading the police.

Nakitah has been granted bail, and the matter is adjourned to the 23 June for police to finalize the charges and hear Atua and Papali’i’s bail application.

The three are suspected to be linked to the Vietnam shooting last month where an Australian based Samoan, Lorenzo Lemalu was shot dead in a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and a second person seriously wounded.

Two Samoans, Va’a Va’a and Steven Tafia have publicly confessed to the killing and are under police custody in Viet Nam.

The two accused worked for a rental car business at Vailoa, Faleata and are reported to have used Samoan passports to travel to Australia and entered Viet Nam where they have been held by police after the murder.