26 Aug 2008

Many vendors to Pacific Arts Festival still waiting to be paid

7:45 am on 26 August 2008

American Samoa's Budget Director, Magalei Logovii, has taken on responsibility for debts owed by the recent Pacific Arts Festival.

Many businesses and individuals still waiting to be paid for services rendered or supplies provided for the festival, have expressed their frustration at the delay in payments.

There have been allegations that some vendors are getting preferential treatment and that some vendors are overcharging .

Vendors who dont have a gripe are those who accepted festival meal vouchers.

All have been paid by the two commercial banks, Bank of Hawaii and ANZ Amerika SAmoa Bank which shared a $1.5 million deposit from the festival committee to cover meals for the estimated 1800 festival participants.

Money was left over from the meal voucher allocation.

The Festival's finances were previously the responsibility of the Co- chair of the Arts festival committee and Finance Committee chairman Fagafaga Daniel Langkilde.