The release of inmate Fuala’au Tuua from jail yesterday to attend the signing of their family business contract with the Federal Aviation Administration for landscaping stirred up anger among inmates inside the Tafuna Correctional Facility (TCF).

However, Warden Fo’ifua Fo’ifua told Samoa News that Tuua made the request last week to attend this “very important business transaction with her parents who are Samoa citizens, as the business license is under the inmate’s name.” He also pointed out that as long as there is a police escort, the inmate can be released, but only in certain cases.

Samoa News received several calls from women who claimed to be inmates, saying that they are not happy with the decision made by the Warden to allow Tuua out of jail, when she’s not on work release. Another call from a family member of one of the inmates claimed that she saw Tuua near her residence in Ottoville.

According to the callers, this is the second time Tuua was released from jail — one time last week and once again yesterday morning. Samoa News contacted the TCF and spoke to Lt. Fasi Ta’ase, who confirmed that Tuua was released last week by permission of the Warden, but this second release he allowed upon her request to assist her family in some paperwork for their family business.

Tuua, who was implicated in four separate cases on allegations of stealing, forgery and passing bad checks to get money to “impress her boyfriend and his family”, was sentenced to serve 28 months in jail.

She initially faced charges of stealing, forgery and passing bad checks, but a plea agreement offered by the government was accepted by the defendant, Tuua pled guilty to stealing, forgery and passing bad checks for only two of the cases.

Lt. Ta’ase told Samoa News over the phone that he allowed this release based on her request and that this would be the last time this will happen. Asked if this was allowed by the court or the warden he admitted “no” and said that he would send the police van to pick her up from her residence.

Her first case involved Family Mart, where Tuua was convicted of stealing and forgery. For that, Kruse sentenced her to seven years for each count. With the second case of stealing, which involved the MMC store, she was sentenced to five years in jail.

Kruse made it clear that the sentences were to run concurrently (at the same time).

The court then moved to suspend the sentence of seven years under certain conditions, one of which was she serve 28 months, without any release from jail, unless by written order of the court or for medical treatment. Tuua was also ordered to serve 20 months for the stealing and forgery and 20 months for passing bad checks, and pursuant to statute, those sentences were also to run concurrently.

Commissioner of Public Safety William Haleck told Samoa News that he will look into this matter, as it was unclear to him why the contract was not brought to the jail for the inmate to sign.