Parliament's Finance and Expenditure Committee has expressed concerns over the $835,204 approved by Cabinet to initiate the establishment of the $32 million Police Academy. 

The concerns are outlined in the Committee's report to Parliament. 

“The Committee believes that such funds should be added in the estimations spent under the Ministry of Police," the report reads.

"This would show transparency of funds appropriated for Ministries operations.

"The Committee trusts that if guidelines are coherent for the spending of funds for core functions, it will provide thorough and clear reflection of estimated and spent funds for Ministries operations,” says the report. 

Members of the Committee inclide Aliimalemanu Alofa Tu’uau; Faumuina Tiatia Liuga; To’omata Aki Tuipea; Namulau’ulu Papali’i Leota and Ili Setefano Tafili. 

Attempts to get a comment from the Commissioner of Police, Fuiavaili’ili Egon Keil, were not successful.

Last month, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance, Leasiosiofaasisina Oscar Malielegaoi, revealed that the new state-of-the-art Samoa Police Academy project will come at a cost of $32.8 million, to be funded by a grant from China.

"[The Academy will be] an in-kind grant from the Government of the People's Republic of China," Leasiosio said.

"It is not a loan-funded project.” 

The Finance and Expenditure Parliament Committee concluded in its report, appealing to the Ministry of Finance to clearly lay out guidelines for the spending of the unforeseen funds to finance core functions of government Ministries’ that have been approved by Cabinet such as the $835,204 for the Ministry of Police.