Former Assistant Electoral Commissioner Remains in Police Custody Awaiting Bail Hearing

Samoa’s former Assistant Electoral Commissioner Faumui Afualo Daryl Mapu, arrested and charged with possession of drugs and illegal weapons last December, remains in police custody awaiting a bail hearing.

Afualo, 38, was unable to appear in the Supreme Court when his case was called last Wednesday 9th February because he had not yet received his second Covid-19 vaccination jab.

When the matter was recalled two days later on Friday defense counsel Magele Leone Su’a-Mailo had applied to the Court for the use of video link, allowing her client to appear before Acting Chief Justice Vui Clarence Nelson.

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Afualo, 38, faces five charges in relation to 1.6 grams of methamphetamine and six illegal unregistered weapons police had seized after a drug raid of his Nuu-Fou home last year, on the 28th of December. He was arrested with another colleague from the Office of the Electoral Commissioner (OEC), Ms Marie Fanueli.

Prosecution are denying the bail allegations, however, were not prepared for a bail hearing to proceed last Friday. Justice Vui has set the bail hearing for this Friday 18 February 2022 as a final adjournment to allow prosecution time to prepare.

File photo. Deputy Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo. Loreta Kelemete, SGN.

At the time of the arrests last December Deputy Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo said the 1.6 grams of methamphetamine seized were in the form of five ready-for-sale packets of the drug.

Police had also seized four pistols and two long rifles during the raid. “The two rifles were both unregistered, a 12 gauge shotgun and a single shot .22 rifle.”