“I have never left my hotel room since my wife and I were brought here on Friday. There are police officers posted outside our door. They can tell you I have never stepped outside the door.”
The words of Rep Faimealelei Anthony Allen in response to statements in the House of Representatives about a witness seeing him in Fagatogo on Tuesday when he is supposed to be in quarantine.
The Aua faipule said he will have more to say in response to the allegations made against him by his colleagues, especially Pago Pago faipule Vesiai Poyer Samuelu.
But for now he wants to assure the public that he has not left his room at the Tradewinds Hotel.
As we reported yesterday, Rep Vesiai stated during the House session that a witness saw Faimealelei in Fagatogo on Tuesday and the witness was so upset that she called the Aua lawmaker and told him he should never have left his hotel room since he is being quarantined.
Today Vesiai raised the matter again during a Health Committee hearing on legislation dealing with screening and examinations for minors, without the consent of their parents.
He said the witness came to his house to report seeing Faimealelei in Fagatogo.
And he added that a former faipule of Aunuu had also reported seeing Faimealelei the same day.
The Chairman of the Health Committee Rep Vesi Fautanu told Health Director Motusa Tuileama Nua who was one of the witness at the hearing that he didn’t have to respond since this is a sensitive issue which needs to be investigated thoroughly.
Rep Faimealelei told KHJ News that the witness whose identity he now knows may have seen his 32 year old son who looks very much like him. He said his son is driving his vehicle.
Faimealelei and his wife had traveled from Honolulu Friday with a FEMA agent who was refused entry because she had tested positive for Coronavirus in the mainland on June 29. She had another test on July 15 prior to traveling to American Samoa and the test was negative.
The lawmaker told KHJ News since he left the island in May for treatment in Hawaii under a VA referral he has undergone 8 COVID-19 tests and they were all negative,
He said DOH performed another test yesterday and it was also negative.
