The High Court of American Samoa has rejected a plea agreement between the prosecutor and a local Chinese businessman, who is accused of receiving stolen government property.
Samoa News reports that Chief Justice Michael Kruse was not satisfied with answers from Ji Zhi Ming during a hearing on Monday and decided to reject the plea agreement, in which the defendant would have pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property.
Ming is facing a single count of receiving stolen government property, which is a felony.
He is accusing of buying five Department of Education computers that were stolen from a government warehouse by a former department employee.
With the plea agreement rejected, the case will now go to trial at a date yet to be confirmed.
