A loan officer of the Development Bank of American Samoa has been fired for what the DBAS President Ruth Matagi Faatili has cited as unacceptable activities.
Masunu Leala was served a letter last Thursday morning informing him that his employment is terminated effective November 17.
Or in the alternative he may voluntarily resign, provided his resignation is tendered no later than Friday, November 18.
Leala had earlier been placed on two weeks leave without pay from October 31 to November 14, after he had posted statements on his Face Book page which mentioned possessing a 9 mm semi automatic gun that he planned to bring to work.
The wording in the letter of termination indicates that the employee’s postings on social media is the main reason why he was being fired.
The DBAS president wrote she had hoped Leala would use the two weeks he was placed on leave to reflect on his actions.
“Unfortunately you continued the unacceptable behavior to the disruption and detriment of the bank,” she said.
Matagi Faatili claims that Leala, upon receiving the letter placing him on leave, immediately posted on his social media page that he was served a termination letter.
Then he insisted it was a suspension letter.
She said, “The fact that you openly lied about the bank’s actions is a serious concern. “
Matagi Faatili said while DBAS has no intention to stop the employee from sharing his personnel matters with the public or even the media, the bank takes exception to Leala’s fabrication of the facts.
She goes on to say that Leala was preciously counseled for inappropriate use of social media during working hours.
Then he was placed on leave for violent and threatening comments related to the bank , as well as sharing information about DBAS customer Pulu Ae Ae.
“Now,” wrote the DBAS president, “you have committed acts which amount to blatant dishonest and an intent to impugn the bank.”
Leala, who has worked at DBAS for two years, had been picked up by police on a Sunday to be questioned about his FB comments regarding a gun.
Commissioner of Public Safety, Save Liuato Tuitele, told KHJ News that Leala admitted to making the statements but it was not to threaten bank employees but to ward off members of the public who were irate over reports of certain DBAS board members and their relatives, and staff and ASG officials having their loans charged off or their loan interest frozen.
The commissioner says there was no evidence of criminal activity on Leala’s part.
But according to the DBAS President when Leala returned to work after his leave he was given opportunity to explain his actions and that he claimed his behavior were the result of high emotions arising from incidents Leala claims took place in prior years.
She says in the letter of termination, that if he at any time had an issue with the bank, his job, or even the president’s behavior towards him, was free to raise concern.
She said it appears that Leala was using his version of past experiences as an explanation for his “highly inappropriate and dishonest conduct” over the last 30 days.
And this, she said, violated the policies and procedures of the bank.
Leala, says when he went back to work, he went through what seemed like an “interrogation” by his supervisor Tavai Ieremia and Human Resources Manager Mary Malauulu about who “Tulaga Stanley” is and whether any higher ups in the bank, e.g board members, were connected to the postings by “Tulaga Stanley” prior to the elections.
He says he was asked if he leaked the ledger document with details of the interest freeze and loans for one of the board members.
He told KHJ News that he told the bank supervisors that he didn’t know who Tulaga Stanley was, and never gave out any bank information.
Leala said he also told Ieremia and Malauulu if they suspect higher ups in the bank were involved, why weren’t they questioning them instead of trying to pin the leak on him.
Matagi Faatili cites in the letter of termination that Leala’s conduct violates a section of the DBAS employee rules titled, “unacceptable activities:”
This includes negligence or any careless action which endangers the life or safety of another person, engaging in criminal conduct or acts of violence and engaging in behavior designed to create discord and lack of harmony.
Leala says his attorney will answer the DBAS President’s letter terminating him.
