Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa citizens are wondering who gets all the gifts distributed to the delegates to the Atoa o Samoa talks that met in their third session April 12 & 13 at the American Samoa Community College Multi-purpose center.

Live streaming on KVZK-TV showed around $40,000 in money and goods were gifted by ASG to the Samoan delegates.

Representing the Samoa govt were: Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Maatafa, who received $7,000, and Cabinet Ministers including the Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Olo Fiti Vaai, Minister of Finance, Mulipola Anarosa Molioo, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Labour, Leatinuu Wayne Sooialo, Minister of Health, Valasi Tafito Selesel, and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Laauli Polataivao Schmidt who each received $4,000.

Twelve Samoa govt CEOs and the Attorney General each received $2,000, Samoa's General Consular to American Samoa received $3,000, and $1,000 each for four others who were among the Samoan delegation including the Press Secretariat.

There was no confirmation whether or not the cash gifts were tala or U.S. dollars.

And the gifts didn’t stop there, food, wine, liquor and water was also gifted to the visitors. Commodities included: 50 boxes of tuna, 50 boxes of turkey, 50 boxes of ham, 50 boxes of turkey tails, 50 boxes of wine, 50 boxes of water and 50 boxes of hard liquor.

The Samoa Observer is reporting that all the boxes of various products from American Samoa were distributed to those who were part of the delegation upon their return to Samoa despite the trip — including the gifts distributed to ASG by the Samoa delegates — were paid for with taxpayer money.

Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries La’auli Leuatea Schmidt confirmed that gifts given to ASG were purchased with taxpayer money.

"The policy is that there is always an allocated budget in each financial year for matters such as this. But the budget does not cover everything that the government takes as the faaoso for the American Samoa Government," he told the Observer.

"We each had to contribute by providing ie toga (fine mats), taro, banana, fish and other goods and products. It's part of our fa'aaloalo and culture. We know the American Samoa government does the same when they travel to Samoa. 

"This exchange of gifts and goods is also a way to promote our goods and same for them (American Samoa). So it's a policy that has been there for such a long time."

When asked whether they would consider changing the policy so that instead of using taxpayers money to prepare faaoso, the delegations would fork money from their own pockets to prepare the fa'aoso, La'auli said: "Well I believe the main reason why we use government's money is because it is a government trip not a personal trip." 

"When officials from the government travel, it is normal that the money and budget from the government should be used to prepare everything for that trip.