Nominees Picked for ASG Bank Board

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The Fono resumes today and among legislation that the administration is submitting for the Fono to review in the remaining two weeks of the Third Regular Session are nominations for the Board of Directors of the Territorial Bank of American Samoa, legislation relating to limited liability companies in the territory and a bill to set a new container inspection fee.

The governor’s executive assistant Iulogologo Joseph Pereira said from Honolulu last week that nominations for the bank board would be submitted before the end of last week.

However as of Friday, Fono staff said they had not received any bills from the Governor’s Office.

Iulogologo declined to disclose the nominees until the Fono has received them.

KHJ News has received confirmation that the three members of the private sector on the board are Alo Dr. Paul Stevenson, Salaia Gabbard and Papalii Laulii Alofa.

ASG directors on the bank board include Treasurer Ueligitone Tonumaipe’a, ASPA Executive Director Utu Abe Malae, Director of Commerce Keniseli Lafaele and the Governor’s Chief Counsel Steve Watson.

Some of the private sector officials who were first invited to be board members turned down the invitation.

They include Agaoleatu Charlie Tautolo, Avamua Dave Haleck and Gary Ayre, who was chosen as CEO of the Community Bank of American Samoa and is a former CEO of ANZ Amerika Samoa Bank.

The Territorial Bank of American Samoa is being funded with $15 million from the sale of American Samoa Economic Development Authority bonds and is one of the top priorities of Governor Lolo Moliga who wants to see a US owned bank in place to provide services that BOH and ANZ are not servicing, such as loans.

The government bank is to be set up at the BOH headquarters in Utulei while BOH would move to their Tafuna branch until it decides to close up once the TBAS is up and running.

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