Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Two former officials of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s administration will plead guilty in federal court for conspiracy around the secret retirement payout to former police chief Louis Kealoha.

Former top city lawyer Donna Leong, former police commission chair Max Sword, and former managing director Roy Amemiya appeared in U.S. District Court Monday morning.

They were scheduled for trial in March. Instead, they reached plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of San Diego, which prosecuted Chief Kealoha and his wife, Katherine.

That case led to charges against the three officials after they engineered a $250,000 payoff to get Kealoha to leave the police department.

Leong and Sword were charged with arranging the payment and trying to keep it secret and not seek approval of the city council. Leong was also charged with five counts of lying to the FBI.

They agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge, pay $100,000 fines, and serve a one-year term of supervised release.

Amemiya will accept responsibility for misdemeanor, pay a $50,000 fine. If he completes two years of supervised release, the case will be dropped without a conviction or guilty plea.

Judge Leslie Kobayashi said she would accept the plea agreements and issue the sentences on March 4.

(Hawaii News Now)

SAMOA SEEKS NZ SUPPORT FOR MORE K9s

Samoa police are turning to their counterparts in New Zealand to beef up law enforcement efforts to tackle the increasing cases of drug smuggling, the country’s police chief says.

Last week Samoan authorities intercepted 10 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (worth almost NZ$2.5 million in street value), which has been described by the Samoa Observer as “the largest known drug smuggling operation” on the island.

Three people – a 70-year-old businessman and two employees (a male and a female) – have been arrested in connection with the drug haul.

Police commissioner Auapa’au Logoitino Filipo said the drugs were found in a shipping container from the United States and were cleverly concealed in cereal-like packaging.

Authorities are still investigating whether the container was intended to remain in Samoa or to be transported to another country.

Auapa’au told Radio Samoa on Thursday the operation was aided by the K9 Unit and they are working to acquire more K9s from New Zealand to assist them in a variety of tasks.

He said there are two K9s – one each for police and customs – and it was insufficient to tackle the drug smuggling issue effectively given the multiple entry points into Samoa.

Auapa’au added there is an influx of methamphetamine in Pacific Islands, and it is a regional concern.

“So far, there has been no evidence suggesting that methamphetamine is being manufactured in Samoa, with no signs of laboratory equipment found.”

A NZ police spokesperson told RNZ Pacific that as part of the Pacific Detector Dog Programme, they are actively involved in supporting Samoa in K9 supply and training and have been for a number of years.

“We are working closely with Samoa Police and Customs on additional K9 support into the future.”

(Scoop NZ)

EFFORT TO PREVENT CORRUPTION IN PACIFIC

Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga – are uniting in a landmark anti-corruption initiative as the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) hosts a regional study tour in Suva.

The two-day event from 3-4 February is supported by the UN Development Program (UNDP) Pacific Office in Fiji under the UK Government-funded Pacific Anti-Corruption Project. The tour will serve as a crucial platform for knowledge exchange, with FICAC sharing its expertise in preventing, investigating, and prosecuting corruption.

The participation of multiple Pacific nations, including Papua New Guinea, creates a strong opportunity to address both traditional cultural practices and modern corruption challenges while strengthening regional cooperation in upholding UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) commitments.

(UN Development Program)

MAN FOUND DEAD IN FALEULA

The Samoa Police is calling on members of the public to come forward with information after the body of a man was found in Faleula on Saturday morning as investigations continue.

The police were contacted on Saturday morning to pick up a dead body from Faleula. Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo confirmed that the matter was reported to them. 

"The village of Faleula reported a dead body of a man to the police. Preliminary investigations reveal that he was a village member of Faleula and between 40 to 50 years old. Investigations are continuing," he said. 

The identity of the man has not been revealed and the cause of death has not been determined yet. It is unclear at this point if the police are suspecting foul play as it has not been indicated if any injuries were found on the man.

According to sources, the man's body was found by members of the village and reported the matter to police. It is alleged that the police were the ones to fetch the body from Faleula to the morgue.

It is believed that the matter would be handed to the Coroner to make a call if there would be a need to have a post-mortem examination.

(Samoa Observer)

WHOOPING COUGH VACCINE FOR SAMOA

The New Zealand government is donating 6000 doses of the Boostrix vaccine to Samoa to combat whooping cough, the Samoa government says.

A whooping cough outbreak was declared in Samoa last November.

Samoa has not previously had access to the Boostrix vaccine, which offers protection against pertussis, diphtheria, and tetanus.

As of 20 January, there have been 363 reported cases of whooping cough, with confirmed 24 cases.

Samoa's Health Ministry said that 184 of the cases involve children under five years old, and 121 of those are infants under one year old.

The Health Security and Disease Surveillance Division is investigating suspected or confirmed cases and contacts to prevent further spread.

The majority of cases are on Upolu, with one case on Savai'i.

The vaccine distribution plan will prioritise frontline responders, healthcare personnel, and expectant mothers, according to the Health Ministry.

Pregnant women are encouraged to receive the Boostrix vaccine, which is approved by Medsafe New Zealand for adults.

Infants are at the highest risk during their first few months of life, so vaccination during the second or third trimester of pregnancy is critical for providing them with the necessary protection until they can receive their immunizations.

(RNZ Pacific)

CREDIBILITY OF THE US IN THE PACIFIC AT RISK

A Massey University academic says the uncertainty over the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will have implications for the Pacific region.

Donald Trump is considering significantly reducing the size of the USAID's workforce for efficiency purposes.

USAID, the world's largest aid agency, delivers billions of dollars in international aid annually.

Dr Anna Powles from Massey's Centre for Defence and Security said the agency provides about US$3.4 billion (NZ$6b) to the Pacific.

"The Pacific islands is one of the most aid-dependent regions in the world. 'There will obviously be implications for the region, particularly across those programmes such as the delivery of antiviral therapy for HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria.''

She also said it could affect newer programs, such as the removal of Second World War ordnance, governance and climate change.

Powles said it was clear the US security footprint in the region will not diminish, but that it will impact the credibility of the US in the region.

(RNZ Pacific)

FIJI DENGUE OUTBREAK

Fiji's Health Ministry has declared a dengue outbreak in the Western Division, with 200 cases recorded since the beginning of this year.

The country's Western Division consists of three provinces in western and northern parts of Viti Levu: Ba province, Nadroga-Navosa province, and Ra province.

The majority of cases are among those between the ages of 10 to 29 years old.

Cases of dengue fever are expected every year during the rainy season, from October to April, and after heavy, unfavourable weather events.

Fiji has been hit by a lot of bad weather since Christmas Day.

The Ministry said a Dengue Action Plan that has been implemented, and monitoring of the situation by both the divisional heads and senior managers has been ongoing.

It said divisional health teams have been alerted to the increasing number of dengue fever cases above expected levels, in order to encourage early recognition, treatment, and referral of cases as required.

Divisional and sub-divisional outbreak response teams have also been trained to investigate and respond during outbreaks, it added.

(RNZ Pacific)

MORE ARRESTS FROM FIREWORKS EXPLOSION

Hawai'i police arrested four people more in connection with the deadly New Year's fireworks explosion in Honolulu, bringing the total number of arrests to 10.

The death toll from the New Year's explosion rose to five last week after one of the burn victims died at a hospital in Phoenix.

No charges have been filed in connection with the arrests, according to court records. Police said all cases will be sent to the Honolulu Prosecutor's Office.

The four were later released from police custody.

Governor Josh Green announced legislative proposals earlier this month to crack down more harshly on fireworks violators.

(RNZ Pacific)

MANAWANUI FUEL RECOVERY OPERATION

The NZDF's Commodore Andrew Brown said it is not possible to provide an exact timeline of when the Manawanui fuel recovery operation is completed.

The second cycle of the removal of fuel and other pollutants from HMNZS Manawanui is underway.

Cycle one tanktainers have been offloaded in Apia and cycle two tanktainers are on the barge, which is securely moored over Manawanui on the southwest coast of Upolu.

Commodore Andrew Brown said the salvors are now moving into the harder to reach areas of the ship, which is lying at a depth of 35 metres on its side.

"The weather has and will continue to impact operations and the salvors are monitoring the weather ....daily ..this means we can't confirm when the fuel recovery will complete," he said

Commodore Brown said it's extremely important that we do a careful and thorough job.

(RNZ Pacific)

SEABED MINING

Mining companies have asked the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to move faster with adopting deep sea mining regulations.

CEOs of eight companies, including the director of Nauru Ocean Resources and Cook Islands Investment Corporation, have signed on.

They say they have made and continue to make investments based on the legitimate expectations for the adoption of mining rules.

The legal framework for mining has not been made but the council now has a goal of finalising it in July this year.

(RNZ Pacific)

CONCERNS OVER RISING HIV NUMBERS IN FIJI

Health New Zealand says the rising number of new HIV infections in Fiji is concerning, and it is closely monitoring the situation.

There have been more than 1000 new cases reported between January and September last year, and an outbreak has been officially declared.

The United Nations' HIV/AIDS programme said the outbreak is a risk to the entire Pacific region.

Health New Zealand said it is working with stakeholders to look at ways of raising awareness.

It is encouraging people to get tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

(RNZ Pacific)