By Lagi Keresoma*

Apia, Samoa – 24 February 2025 – The Minister of Police, Faualo Harry Schuster has confirmed that there has never been any discussion to recruit New Zealand police to assist local police in a defamation investigation.

This follows a revelation by the Police Commissioner, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo in an interview with the media outside Parliament on 21 January 2025, that New Zealand police were in Samoa assisting local police with the investigation of a complaint by the FAST Party leader Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao.

Auapaau was responding to a reporter’s question if there was an official complaint by Laauli who mentioned in his press conference on 20 January 2025, that he was not sure if police were investigating his complaint filed in September 2023 or not.

The Commissioner’s response in a filmed interview was widely used on local television news and radio reports and also published online platforms.

The Police Commissioner repeated the same comments about the presence of NZ Police in Samoa, in a follow up TV interview on 25 January, which was also widely published.

No official request from Samoa says NZ Police
However, the New Zealand Police National headquarters in Wellington clarified in a communication dated 30 January 2025, “that there was no official request from the Samoan police for any assistance and they would never get involved in an investigation of a case of such nature.”

When Talamua published the story on 5 February, the Commissioner was in New Zealand and the Minister of Police called a hurried meeting of top police executives where the discussion focussed on “who leaked the information” rather than on the truth of it.

The Minister was later shown the video clip of the Police Commissioner’s interview but insisted on protecting information from being leaked to the media.

Talamua has sent numerous emails and enquiries with Auapaau and Deputy Commissioner Papalii Monalisa Keti but have not responded.

The Minister and Police Commissioner have just returned from an overseas trip to India.

According to the Minister, Faualo Harry Schuster, the Commissioner has denied saying what he told the media implying it was a made up by the media.

This is despite the actual filmed interview of the Commissioner saying what he told the media and clip widely used and published by the local media and online news platforms.

He said that the New Zealand police were assisting local police on the investigation of a complaint of a defamatory nature and of words spoken that could lead to charges of “harassment using electronic means.”

Complaints filed in October 2023
The complaint relate to the unresolved 2021 hit and run case and the comments by the HRPP Secretary on a video clip posted on social media that implied Laauli and his late former Associate Minister, Vaele Iona Pa’ia’aua’s involvement.

In the video clip, Lealailepule went further to name the Police Commissioner as the source of information saying the wife of the late MP, Tupuola Mati Vaele confessed to the police commissioner that her late husband was involved.

The comments were repeated by former PM Tuilaepa weeks later and implied that if the late Associate Minister was involved, then Laauli must have knowledge as he was his former Associate Minister.

Laauli and Tupuola then filed complaints with the police in September/October 2023.

However, the Police Commissioner only gave the update that the New Zealand Police were involved in the investigation when asked by the media during outside parliament on 21 January 2025.

This was after Laauli pointed out in a press conference the week before, the disparity in police treatment of cases as they were quick to investigate and charge him for a much later complaint compared to his and Tupuola’s complaints filed in 2023.

*Additional information for this article was provided by Staff Reporters.