American Samoa's administration has resubmitted an appropriations bill to compensate a former government prosecutor, Virginia Gibbons, who was sexually assaulted by an escaped inmate nearly 20 years ago.
Governor Togiola Tulafono told Fono leaders in a letter that he was submitting legislation to appropriate at least 257,000 US dollars as full payment of an outstanding judgment entered by the High Court of American Samoa in 2001 in the case of Gibbons vs American Samoa Government.
This is the second time an appropriation for the Gibbons case has been sent to the Fono.
The first time was in 2004.
Each chamber passed its own version of the Gibbons payment but by the time the fourth regular session ended that year, which was also a campaign year, neither house had passed each other's bill.
