18 Aug 2005

Samoan flees deportation hearing in American Samoa

6:37 am on 18 August 2005

A District Court judge in American Samoa isn't happy that a Samoan inmate slipped out of his court building and disappeared.

Immigration officers haven't had any success finding Fa'aleaga Falaniko, a Samoan citizen, who was facing charges of breaching the peace and was about to be ordered deported from the territory.

Falaniko had worked on a fishing vessel.

He was sitting in the courtroom awaiting for his case to be called, then he stood up and headed for the door.

When a police officer asked him where he was going, he responded that he wanted to use the restroom and went out of the courtroom.

That was the last time authorities saw him.