9 Nov 2009

Samoan MP sues US State department for wrongful detention and violation of human rights

1:35 pm on 9 November 2009

The US State department and Immigration and Customs are being sued for around five million US dollars from Samoa's Associate Minister of Tourism and Trade, Hans Joachim Keil.

The multi million dollar suit has already been filed and it alleges wrongful arrest and detention and violation of the MP's rights under the fourth and fifth amendments of the United States Constitution.

The suit has been filed a year after Mr Keil was arrested and detained in the state of Missouri over allegations of being an unlawful US citizen carrying a US Passport.

He was arrested in September last year and released in November two months after the Samoan government negotiated with the US government's top officials at the time including the former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

Mr Keil is quoted in the Samoa Observer newspaper as saying he has engaged Rekha and Sharma and Michael Crawford law firms in Kansas Missouri to fight his case