Charges against police officer in Samoa dropped

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Charges of manslaughter against a suspended police officer in Samoa have been dropped after a request from the office of the Attorney General in the Supreme Court, this week.

Samoa Observer reports that Constable Lefiu Aina Fono was charged along with Maualalo Senetenari over the death of a 58-year-old father from Faleasi’u, in 2019.

Lawyer for the Attorney Generals office Iliganoa Atoa said, that they withdrew the charge after a thorough analysis of the evidence and a review of the pathologist report.

Atoa said, the prima facie evidence from the case will not secure a conviction, adding that the postmortem report suggests that one head injury led to the death of the deceased.

Co-defendant Maualalo pleaded guilty to the charge of manslaughter in relation to the same incident and is serving four years imprisonment.

Justice Leiataualesā Darryl Clarke granted the application by the prosecution and subsequently withdrew and dismissed the charges, setting the suspended police officer free.