Samoa’s police commissioner will be taking leave “for a number of weeks” on the advice of his doctor, Samoa Police announced this afternoon.
Commissioner Fuiavaili’ili Egon Keil will be seeking medical treatment in New Zealand “for a condition that cannot be treated in Samoa but by a medical specialist found overseas”.
Deputy Commissioner Papalii Monalisa Tiai-Keti will fulfill the role of Commissioner of Police, Prisons and Corrections Services during his absence.
The news comes in the midst of tense political upheaval in Samoa. Parliament is yet to convene despite orders from the Supreme Court to convene by Monday 5 July, and in defiance of the Supreme Court, the Head of State has declared parliament to convene on Monday 2nd August – a move questioned by legal experts.
Meanwhile, the police commissioner this week received a letter from the caretaker government requesting criminal charges be laid against leaders of the election winning Faatuatua I le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party and its legal advisers; FAST today filed an application with the Supreme Court to have its impromptu swearing-in ceremony recognised.
