A witness in the election petition filed by Fuimaono Maria Meredith against the Minister of Agriculture and current member of parliament for Falealili No. 2, Fuimaono Tito Asafo, told the court he was given $30 to vote for Fuimaono Tito.

The petition began on Tuesday morning in the Electoral Court before Justice Fepuleai Ameperosa Roma and Justice Vui Clarence Nelson.

The petition, brought under Samoa’s electoral laws, challenges the validity of Fuimaono Tito’s election victory in the general elections. The proceedings opened with witnesses for the petitioner taking the stand.

Among the first witnesses was Tupu Taafale Tautuli, 35, from Tafaigata and Siuniu, a registered voter in the Falealili No. 2 constituency. In his affidavit, Tautuli alleged that he was offered money by an individual linked to the respondent, Fuimaono Tito Asafo, before the election.

Tautuli told the court that on Saturday, 23 August, he had travelled from Tafaigata to Sogi before heading to Matautu to check on a job application he had submitted at a Chinese-owned company. While at the Sogi bus stop, he said he saw a bus belonging to “Iu o Atua,” a service operating from Salani and owned by Fuimaono Tito Asafo.

According to Tautuli, the bus was being driven by Fuimaono Faoliu, who he said was a cousin of the Agriculture Minister. 

“I went on the bus and we talked,” Tautuli said. “We talked about the election. He asked me if I knew Maria, the one contesting in the constituency, and said Maria is not someone who has served the people of Salani.”

Tautuli said the driver then asked where he was registered to vote, to which he replied, “Falealili No. 2.” He alleged that at that point, the driver gave him $30, consisting of a $10 bill and a $20 bill, and told him to “remember the election and support Fuimaono Tito.”

“I accepted the money,” Tautuli said, “but I told him to leave it because the election is a matter of personal choice.”

The hearing continues this week as more witnesses for the petitioner are expected to testify. The case is one of several election petitions filed following the 2025 general election, as candidates challenge alleged bribery and treating incidents during the campaign period.