James Tuisavailuu Atua and Fred Oliva Junior Papalii have been charged with conspiracy to murder in connection with the fatal shooting of an Australian citizen in Vietnam.
Samoa Police confirmed the new charges in a joint statement with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Thursday morning.
Atua, 31, a New Zealand national, and Papalii, 33, a Samoan national, were charged on 10 September 2026 with conspiracy to murder under section 106 of Samoa’s Crimes Act 2013.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The two men appeared before the Court on Wednesday 16th September and were granted conditional bail.
The charges are the latest development in an international investigation into the fatal shooting of Lemalu Lorenzo Tovia and Sauni Sam in Ho Chi Minh City on 21 May 2026. Lemalu was killed while Sam was seriously injured.
Three days after the shooting, Vietnamese authorities arrested two young Samoan men, Vaa Joseph Vaa and Steve Tafia. Both young men worked for Unalei Rentals in Apia owned by James Atua. The pair had traveled from Samoa to Vietnam a week before the shootings.
Vietnamese Police reported that Vaa and Tafia had arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on 14 May and spent several days monitoring the movements of Lemalu and Sam before the shooting.
Authorities said the two men admitted their involvement following their arrests and said they had acted on instructions from a person based overseas.
Video statements of the two young men were released publicly in Vietnam, reading pre-prepared statements stating their involvement in the shooting.
In the recordings, Vaa admitted being the person who fired the gun, while Tafia said the pair had been hired and sent to Vietnam to find Lemalu and Sam.
The two had both worked for Unalei Rental Cars in Samoa, a business owned by James Atua.
The investigation quickly extended to Samoa.
Atua was arrested by Samoa Police on 27 May while allegedly attempting to leave the country and was initially charged with misleading Police and corruption offences.
Atua and Papalii later appeared together before the Supreme Court facing 30 joint charges of money laundering.
In July, both were granted bail subject to strict conditions, including Departure Prohibition Orders preventing them from leaving Samoa without permission of the Court.
The AFP has since assisted Samoa Police with the execution of a search warrant, financial inquiries, witness interviews and forensic examination of electronic material.
Police say those investigations have now resulted in the conspiracy to murder charges.
Samoa Police allege Atua and Papalii conspired with Vaa and Tafia to carry out the alleged murder in Vietnam.
AFP Acting Commander Pacific Greg Davis said the charges reflected the strength of international law enforcement cooperation across the Pacific and broader region.
He commended the Samoa Police “for its commitment, professionalism and determination throughout this investigation.”
“Organised crime does not respect national boundaries, so law enforcement agencies must work together to combat them,” states Davis.
“Criminal networks rely on international connections to facilitate serious offending, which is why regional partnerships are critical to disrupting and dismantling them.”
It is unclear what the status is of the two Samoan youth allegedly sent to Vietnam to carry out the shootings. According to earlier statements, Vietnam authorities have refused a request from Samoa to release the young men to serve their time in Samoa.
Samoa formally established Diplomatic Relations with Vietnam in March 1994 “to strengthen ties through cooperation especially in the areas of economic and trade, agriculture, fisheries, tourism and people to people links”.
AFP and Samoa Police say the Pacific remains a strong and united front against transnational organised crime, “and the AFP is proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to protect communities and pursue those who seek to cause harm.”
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