24 Jul 2008

Colourful banknotes issued to combat counterfeiting

6:53 pm on 24 July 2008

The Governor of the Central Bank in Samoa is confident brightly coloured new banknotes now circulating will help authorities to crack down on counterfeiting operations.

The 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 tala notes cost about $US2.8 million to make.

Samoa commissioned De La Rue of England to design and print the 9.4 million banknotes.

The government says it the new currency was approved in 2007 by Cabinet as a move to fight counterfeiting and in celebration of the late Head of State, Maleitoa Tanumafili II.

Central Bank Governor Leasi Papalii Scanlan says it has taken some time to get the banknotes, but he is happy with their look.

"I was personally involved in the design of the notes and I insisted on the colour being bright. The designs and the security features were designed using the latest security technology."

The money depicts churches, beaches, government buildings, the Manu Samoa sevens rugby team that won the 2007 Sevens in Hong Kong, and tattoo motifs.