17 Jun 2004

American Samoa's former Education Director to face federal corruption charges

9:48 am on 17 June 2004

The federal government is close to filing charges against American Samoa's former Director of Education Dr. Sili Sataua.

Court filings from the Hawaii federal District court show that Deputy federal public defender Alexander Silvert has been appointed by the court to represent Sataua in a civil miscellanous case.

Silvert says that this is a corruption case and is being handled by the same division of the Justice Department which is prosecuting former Chief Procurement Officer Faau Seumanutafa and former Manager of the School Lunch Program Toetu Solaita.

Silvert said that negotiations are being held between his client and the government and he expected that charges would be filed by next month.

Sataua stepped down as Director of Education last year under a cloud of controversy over thievery at the School Lunch Program, spending of private checking accounts maintained by his office and awarding of contracts to companies owned by government officials and department employees.