Sen. Galeai Tu’ufuli, chairman of the Senate Government Operations Committee has asked the Executive Branch for the outcome of a committee probe on payouts made to certain cabinet members in the previous Togiola Administration.

The payouts, which Galeai and the committee considered questionable, also included money given to former Gov. Togiola Tulafono and former Lt. Gov. Faoa Aitofele Sunia.

Galeai, in a letter to Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga late last month, pointed out that on Sept. 25 last year, the committee wrote to the governor regarding questionable payouts to officials and employees of the previous administration that totaled $891,164.87.

“I expressed to you the committee’s findings and requested an investigation into the legality of these payments and recoupment of any ASG funds which were paid contrary to law,” Galeai said.

However, Galeai says he has not received a reply from either the governor or the attorney general.

“The committee’s interest in this issue remains high, as well as the public’s,” he said. “For the sake of governmental transparency, I am kindly requesting a response and the results of the Executive Branch investigation into this issue.”

The payouts only surfaced when Galeai and other lawmakers questioned ASG officials during the fiscal year 2012 budget hearings—during the last months of the Togiola Administration.