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Governor voices embarrassment at being used as an excuse

Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga last week sent a letter to Attorney General Afoa M Su’esu’e Lutu voicing his disappointment with attorneys who have been using the governor's name "to justify requests for continuances or rescheduling of cases in the High Court.”

 

The letter did not specify if they were the Civil Attorneys or the Criminal Attorneys with the AG’s office. Governor Lolo noted that he’s embarrassed to be told that given the many meetings, it's taken the attorneys away from preparing their cases.

 

“It is rather embarrassing to be told that it is because of numerous meetings called by me, along with the assignment of additional tasks that is taking them away from preparing for cases filed before the High Court" he wrote.

 

“This doesn’t bode well for them (the High Court) and our administration, and I had conveyed to you at the outset that if you need more attorneys to address the expected increased workload, that you should go ahead and hire them.

 

“I have also approved compensation reclassifications for your senior attorneys based on my expectation that they will be impelled to produce. It is my hope the High Court will not see the need to report on the performance of our attorneys in the future,” said Governor Lolo.

 

Deputy Attorney General Mitzie Jessop, in responding to Samoa News queries for a comment noted that they are working on addressing this issue.

 

Jessop, who’s Acting Attorney General, while the AG is off-island attending a meeting of US attorneys general, said they are taking all necessary steps to ensure this conduct does not happen in the future.