26 Apr 2018

Samoa lands court president to be sentenced

8:05 pm on 26 April 2018

The president of Samoa's Lands and Titles court is to be sentenced next week by the District Court on a charge of actual bodily harm.

This comes after a Supreme Court judge dismissed three of the four criminal charges that Fepulea'i Attila Ropati had been facing.

Fepulea'i was charged by police following a complaint by a Ministry of Justice night watchman who alleged he was hit on the head with an empty beer bottle.

The incident had happened last December during the judge's end-of-year function.

However, the prosecution has now withdrawn charges of assault, being armed with a dangerous weapon and grievous bodily harm against Fepulea'i to which he had previously pleaded not guilty.

The Supreme Court has accepted the president's guilty plea to one count of actual bodily harm, sending the case back to the District court next Tuesday when a sentencing date will be set.

The president is on leave with pay awaiting the outcome of his case.

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