Samoa's first ever chocolate factory, the Wilex Cocoa and Coconut Company, has lost a claim for damages against the state-owned Electric Power Corporation following a fire which damaged its main factory seven years ago.
Wilex was forced to stop the production of chocolates, cocoa, and kava for exports as a result.
The company claimed the EPC was at fault, saying a close by transformer had caused the fire and then EPC staff took too long to cut the electricity supply.
But the court's concluded that the primary cause was a defect in the wiring of an air conditioning unit at the chocolate factory.
