Police Commissioner Auapa’au Logoitino Filipo confirmed that the Office of the Attorney General is finalising charges against Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt, chairman of the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party for comments made about caretaker Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa.

This follows a formal complaint lodged with police by Fiame in early August.

Auapa’au said on Wednesday that the police investigation has concluded and the matter is now with the Attorney General’s Office.

“The AG Su’a Hellene Wallwork  is finalising the charges. Once they have completed their review, the next steps will follow,” Auapa’au said in response to media questions.

Fiame confirmed on 4 August that she had lodged a police complaint and engaged legal counsel after Laaulialemalietoa publicly repeated allegations connecting her to the death of Professor Caroline Gabbard and the case of Tuuau Maletino during a political rally in Savai’i. Both allegations have been proven to be false by the police after investigations were undertaken.

“These accusations have existed online for some time,” said Fiame in a statement. “But when such serious claims are made publicly by a political leader, I believe it’s necessary to protect the integrity of the Office of the Prime Minister.”

Laaulialemalietoa referenced claims originally made by Lise Marie Schmidt, who has since been charged for allegedly fabricating evidence and misleading police in the Gabbard case. Police investigations previously found her allegations to be false.

During the rally, Laaulialemalietoa accused the Prime Minister of attempting to "cover her sin" regarding the Gabbard case and raised questions about the handling of the Tuuau Maletino case.

“In his recent comments, Laauli again accused me of covering up not only the Gabbard case but also the death of Tuuau Maletino,” Fiame said at the time. “At first, I chose not to respond to what was being said on social media. But once those allegations were voiced publicly by a party leader, I had to act.”

The Police Commissioner confirmed that possible charges being considered include criminal defamation and libel, among others.

The Office of the Attorney General has not yet confirmed when a decision will be announced. Once charges are finalised, Laaulialemalietoa may be formally served and required to appear in court.

This case is separate from other existing legal proceedings involving Laaulialemalietoa, who has been previously charged with multiple offences including attempting to pervert the course of justice, fabricating evidence, and harassment using electronic communication.

The Samoa Observer contacted the Attorney General and Laaulialemalietoa for comment but did not receive a response by press time.