Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt said the cabinet has approved contracts worth about $4.2 million that are being advanced for several public projects, including work on the courthouse at Mulinuu, traffic lights, and control towers at Matautu wharf.

He also said the appointment of a police commissioner is still being processed by the cabinet, with interviews completed for some candidates, but no final decision has been made yet.

Laaulialemalietoa said the courthouse project is expected to be completed quickly, possibly before the end of the month. The prime minister said about $1.4 million has been allocated for the courthouse work. Laaulialemalietoa, at the groundbreaking of the $16 million courthouse in Savaii, said that the Mulinuu courthouse works had been allocated $8 million.

He said the courthouse contracts and traffic lights would be handled locally, though he did not have the contractors' names with him at the time. The prime minister also said a three-year contract worth about $1.5 million for traffic lights was approved, adding that he was unsure whether there were major issues with the system because some appeared to still be functioning.

Another project mentioned was a control tower at the Matautu Wharf, which he said was needed to monitor boats entering the wharf area. That project is valued at about $1.3 million. The prime minister also addressed the ongoing process to appoint a police commissioner, saying the role remains under consideration by Cabinet. 

He said the Ministry of Police is not small and that the selection process must be handled carefully.

“We are trying to sort it out,” he said. “It is not just one part,” Laaulialemalietoa said, the cabinet had contributed to the process and that some interviews had already been completed. He said he and the Cabinet were still going through the required procedures before a final decision was made. The prime minister said Leiataua Samuelu Afamasaga remains in the role in the meantime. Leiataua has been acting commissioner since October.

The prime minister also briefly addressed police raids connected to drugs, saying some people had previously been detained for selling drugs. He said police were aware of people using walking vendor businesses to deliver drugs while also delivering food.