Former Samoa Cycling Federation president Seti Afoa’s arrest warrant was cancelled on Thursday after he presented himself to the courthouse in Tuasivi.

He has sighted miscommunication between his legal counsel and himself as the reason for his non-appearance when the matter was called in the District Court in Mulinuu on Wednesday.

Charges have been laid on him through private prosecution by former Federation athletes and members.

Mr. Afoa has claimed that his lawyer mixed up the communication regarding the affidavit signed on 28 March.

He said when the call from his lawyer did not come his lawyer on Monday, he left for Savaii.

He said after learning of the arrest warrant, he went straight to the police at Tuasivi and then later to the Tuasivi Courthouse.

"I am disappointed at the miscommunication between my lawyer and the court in filing my affidavit. These things happen, unfortunately. I am grateful my lawyer sorted it out promptly with the registrar in Apia and Tuasivi,” Mr. Afoa said.

Mr. Afoa is charged with obtaining by deception and attempting to obtain by deception. The allegations are related to money provided by the international federation that was not put into the sporting body’s accounts.

An application for a warrant of arrest was granted by the court on Wednesday for Mr. Afoa’s non-appearance.

According to a statement from Darren and Lani Young, former members of the Samoa Cycling Federation, they were disappointed that Mr. Afoa refused to attend and begin the process of answering the charges against him.

"A person is innocent until proven guilty, and we trust in our country's justice system to resolve the matter," they said.

"Because we are athletes and we care about transparency, accountability, and the proper financial management of our sport. We do this because we care about the next generation of athletes coming through.

“We know cycling is not the only sport in Samoa struggling with these issues. We hope this case can shine a light on the need for better sports governance, and the ways we all can better advocate for Samoa's athletes."

The next court date has been set for 30 April.