Governor Tulafono promises support

Samisoni Pareti

AMERICAN SAMOA WILL NOT challenge the surprise raid last March by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents of the office of its Governor and the retrieval of files and information from the territory's main computer room.

Target of raid...Governor Togiola Tulafono’s office complex was cordoned off during the FBI raid.

Press officer for Governor Togiola Tulafono, who was in Washington DC at the time of the FBI raid, told ISLANDS BUSINESS that the territorial leader would not lodge an official protest.

“The Governor, off the island at the time of the FBI raid, has embraced and welcomed the FBI visit because it was an ongoing federal investigation,” explains Vince Iuli, the governor's press officer.

“Governor Togiola understands the role of the FBI and has given the full cooperation of his office and of the American Samoa Government.”

The early morning raid in Pago Pago on March 3 by some 20 armed FBI agents who flew in from Hawaii aboard a military C-130 aircraft caused a stir in the sleepy seaside city.

Clearly disturbed, local media reports quoted the governor's legal counsel Tasi Tuiteleleapaga as saying he wanted to explore challenging the legality of the FBI raid. He felt there were inconsistencies with the search warrants and how they were executed.

“The chief legal counsel challenged the unannounced FBI visit verbally to the agent in charge out of concern that there was no staff members of the Governor's Office to witness their search for evidence,” said Iuli.

“It was denied by the agent in charge at the time of request.” That agent was Robert Casey, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Field Office in Honolulu.

Speaking to reporters in Pago Pago before flying out 24 hours later, Casey could only say the raid was part of continuing investigations into a public corruption case in the territory.

He confirmed the raid was limited to the main computer room and the offices of the governor and the attorney-general.

Territorial radio station KHJ said the corruption charges stemmed from a report of American Samoa's Senate select investigative committee that focused on a number of public officials that included its Lieutenant Governor Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia.

Sunia was acting governor at the time of the FBI raid. Radio KHJ said among the 20 FBI agents were two tax analysts from Dallas in Texas.

“The two were working inside the computer room the whole day,” the radio station reported.

It also said the agents were interested in the tax files of Sunia and many others. These included the files of the furniture company owned by Sunia's wife, as well as companies owned by the territory's former chief procurement officer, former attorney-general, former deputy director of human and social Services, former director of Education, former manager of the School Lunch Programme, former commissioner of public safety and even the commander of the marine patrol division.

The activities and business interests of these officials were the subject of a senate committee investigations on allegations of abuse in the territorial government's furniture purchasing scheme, pilfering of school lunches and a loan scheme in the treasury.

American Samoa's daily newspaper Samoa News said Lt Governor Sunia, who is the younger brother of Governor Tulafono's predecessor, was eager to have the FBI investigations completed “so that the truth will come out.”

But in a television address on the evening of the raid, Sunia labelled the FBI action as an “invasion” carried out in a “disturbing” manner. He said the agents were “armed and intimidating” and the raid was in bad taste in the wake of two cyclones that struck the American territory. Time, however, is a great healer seen from the position now adopted by Governor Tulafono's administration.

“The American Samoa Government's position is one of cooperation,” Iuli said in an electronic mail response to this magazine's questions.

“Governor Togiola believes the probe may find answers to the many questions lingering in the minds of the public and the government as well.”