3 Feb 2009

Samoa claims political interference in illegal gun import case

4:10 pm on 3 February 2009

A senior opposition politician in Samoa says a decision to censure the Police Commissioner over the illegal importing of guns is a sign of political interference.

The leader of the SDUP, Asiata Dr Saleimoa Va'ai, says the Cabinet decision at the end of last week ignores the recommendations of a Commission of Inquiry, which had recommended the Attorney General oversee a criminal investigation into two senior police staff.

Asiata believes the most senior police officer in the country should have to behave impeccably.

"I think the reasonable person who sees them and saying they can have no confidence in the police force ruled over by someone who can ignore procedures of this coming into the country. So I'm quite certain for a lot of people they just lost more confidence in the police than they had before."

Asiata believes the Police Commissioner should have been sacked from his position for not living up to the high standards expected of someone in his position.