Ua aumai i le asö se faamatalaga tusitusia a le Ofisa o le Loia Sili o Samoa, le Afioga ia Savalenoa Mareva Betham-Annandale, e faasaga i le SSIG (Samoa Solidarity International Group).
Sa momoli se finagalo a le SSIG i le Ao Mamalu o le Malo o Samoa i le Aso 21 o Tesema e tetee atu ai i Tulafono e tolu (LTC Bills) ma talosagaina ai le Afioga i le Ao Mamalu o le Malo e aua le sainia tulafono sa pasia i totonu o le Palemene i se palota e 41 le ioe, ae toafā na leai.
O le mau a le SSIG, e aafia tele fanua faaleaganuu i nei tulafono, ma sa latou faapea mai foi, ua afaina tele aia tatau o tagata taitoatasi, e ave ai sana tagi i le Faamasingoa Sili (Supreme Court) pe afai e le talafeagai le iloiloina o sana mataupu i le Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa.
O lea la ua tali mai ai le Loia Sili, ma o loo lomia atu i lalo le faamatalaga tusitusia a le Loia Sili, e aunoa ma se suiga iai (published in verbatim below):
O faamatalaga a le SSIG e faasaga i Tulafono e 3 ua faapea mai ai o le a aveesea le aia tatau a tagata taitoatasi e ave ai sana faitioga i le Faamasinoga Sili, e sesē ma e lē moni.
Mo se faamaninoga, i lalo o ā tatou Tulafono o loo iai i le taimi nei, e laiitiiti lava se avanoa faaletulafono e ono ave ai se faitioga e faatatau i mataupu tau le Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa i le Faamasinoga Sili.
E leai se aia tatau e faia ai se Talosaga apili mai le Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa i le Faamasinoga Sili. O se Talosaga apili, e silasila lava i le aano atoa o se faaiuga.
O se Talosaga apili mai le Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa i le Faamasinoga Sili e le’i iai lava sea tulaga, talu ai le malosiaga faapitoa a le Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa latou te fofogaina ai mataupu poo ni finauga i luga o fanua faaleaganuu ma suafa matai e pei ona aiaia i lalo o le Faavae o Samoa.
E nao le pau lava le avanoa faaletulafono o loo iai i le taimi nei mo mataupu tau Fanua ma Suafa ina ia mafai ona silasila iai le Faamasinoga Sili o se iloiloga faa-faamasino (judicial review) o se faaiuga o le Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa.
O se iloiloga faafaamasino e silasila i le faagasologa na ala ai ona maua se faaiuga.
O lena avanoa faaletulafono e leo aiaia i lalo o se Tulafono a le Malo e pei o le Tulafono o Fanua ma Suafa 1981, ae o lo’o faaalia manino mai i faaiuga o le mataupu a Alomaina na faia i le Faamasinoga Sili i le 1998 [silasila: i le mataupu Lia Aloimaina & Ors v LTC (Tuasivi), Toomata Ropati & Ors, Aloimaina Elekana WSSC 4 November 1998].
Peitai, e ui lava na iai le avanoa mo iloiloga faa-faamasinoga, e nao le tasi lava se mafuaga e talia ai e le Faamasinoga Sili se mataupu tau iloiloga faa-faamasinoga pea faapea ua oia se aia tatau a le tagata taitoatasi e pei ona aiaia i lalo o le Vaega II o le Faavae o Samoa i se faaiuga a le Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa.
E leai lava se isi mafuaaga masani ma taatele faaletulafono (common law) i le tulaga tau iloiloga faa-faamasinoga ua talia e le Faamasinoga Sili.
I teuteuga o le faatulagana o Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa e pei ona faalauiloa mai i lalo ole Mataupu fou 104 e ala i le Tulafono o Teuteuga o le Faavae 2020 ma le Tulafono o Fanua ma Suafa 2020, o le Faamasinoga o Talosaga ma Iloiloga o Fanua ma Suafa (LTCAR) lea o lea gafa ma le fofogaina o mataupu tau iloiloga faa-faamasinoga e faatatau i faaiuga o le Faamasinoga Muamua o Fanua ma Suafa ma le Faamasinoga Maualuga o Fanua ma Suafa.
O lona uiga, o so o se tagata lava e fia faia se iloiloga faafaamasinoga o se faaiuga a le Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa, e mafai lava ona faaulu atu se talosaga mo se iloiloga faa-faamasinoga i le LTCAR, o se Faamasinoga e seei ai faamasino ua agavaa i tulaga tau tulafono ma o loo iai i lenei faamasinoga se puleaga ma se malosiaga tau talosaga ma toe iloiloga.
O nei suiga fou o lea folasia mai ai le faaaogaina o mafuaaga masani ma taatele faaletulafono tau i iloiloga faa-faamasinoga i mataupu i le LTCAR – e pei o le taualumaga e le talafeagai, faiga solitulafono, faiga le taupulea – e telē atu se avanoa pea faatusatusa i le tulaga o loo iai nei. Mo le silafia, o le oia o le aia tatau tau i le faamasinoina ma le tonu o loo aofia i lalo o le mafuaaga tau taualumaga e lē talafeagai. O mafuaaga e ono mafai ai ona iloilo faa-faamasinoga se mataupu o lea ua lautele nai loo o le tulaga o loo iai nei, e na o le mafuaga o le oia o le aia tatau a le tagata a le taitoatasi e pei ona aiaia i lalo ole Faavae.
O lona uiga, o nei suiga fou e pei ona folasia ma aiaia i lalo o le Tulafono o Teuteuga o le Faavae 2020 ma le Tulafono o Fanua ma Suafa 2020 o lea e faaauau ai lava le aia tatau e mafai ai ona faatino se iloiloga faa-faamasinoga o se faaiuga a le Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa, ae ua lautele le tulaga tau i mafuaga e ono iloilo ai faa-faamasinoga se mataupu.
E leai se aia tatau ua aveesea.
O lona uiga, o faamatalaga a le SSIG, e tau faasese ma ua taumafai ma le iloa e taitai seseina ai tagata lautele.
Faamatalaga Tusitusia a le Loia Sili i le Faaperetania:
The SSIG’s claim that the 3 Acts will take away individual rights to take their grievances to the Supreme Court, is misconceived.
To clarify, under our current laws, there is very limited legal avenue to take grievances relating to Land and Titles Court matters to the Supreme Court.
There is no right of appeal from the Land and Titles Court to the Supreme Court. An appeal looks at the substance of a decision.
An appeal from the Land and Titles Court to the Supreme Court has never existed due to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Land and Titles Court over resolving customary land and matai titles disputes as provided in the Constitution.
The only legal avenue available for a Land and Titles Court matters to be considered by the Supreme Court is for the judicial review of a decision of the Land and Titles Court.
A judicial review looks at the process by which a decision has been reached.
That legal avenue is not provided for by an Act of Parliament such as the Land and Titles Act 1981, but rather by case law decisions of the Supreme Court since 1998 with the Alomaina case [refer: Lia Aloimaina & Ors v LTC (Tuasivi), Toomata Ropati & Ors, Aloimaina Elekana WSSC 4 November 1998].
However, even with the availability of judicial review the only permitted ground for judicial review in the Supreme Court is where a decision of the Land and Titles Court has breached a fundamental right under Part II of the Constitution of Samoa.
No other common law grounds of judicial review have been accepted by the Supreme Court.
With the introduction of the revamped Land and Titles Court structures under the new article 104 through the Constitution Amendment Act 2020 and the Land and Titles Act 2020, the Land and Titles Appeal and Review Court (LTCAR) will hear all of the judicial review matters relating to decisions of the Land and Titles First Court and the Land and Titles High Court.
So that means, any person wishing to judicial review a decision of the Land and Titles Court is still able to file a judicial review with the LTCAR, a Court presided by legally qualified judges with revisional and appellate jurisdictions.
The new changes will also introduce the use of common law grounds of judicial review for LTCAR matters – such as procedural impropriety, illegality, rationality- a wider scope compared to what has been available.
Of note, the breach of the right of fair trial is encompassed in the ground of procedural impropriety. The grounds that are now available are wider than the ground of a breach of a fundamental right under Part II of the Constitution that has been available.
Therefore, the new changes introduced by the Constitution Amendment Act 2020 and the Land and Titles Act 2020 will continue to provide the right to judicially review decisions of the Lands and Titles Court on wider common law grounds for judicial review.
No right has been removed.
As such, the SSIG claim is misleading and deliberate endeavors to misinform the public
