American Samoa's Treasurer, Velega Savali, is not signing business licences for companies which are
delinquent in payment of their government leases.
Testifying at a hearing on a bill that would require all leases of government land longer than one year to be submitted to the legislature, the treasurer mentioned several problems he has discovered with the management of government leases.
The Treasurer said some companies have arrears of up to $100,000.
He has written to the Attorney General's Office in an attempt to terminate such leases and allocate the premises to other businesses, but so far no action has been taken.
Lease debts for the industrial park alone are put at over one million US dollars .
