Today is the deadline that the Office of the Attorney General has given the directors of Port Administration and Homeland Security to submit information regarding the vessel Kite Runner’s trip to Samoa in April.
Deputy Attorney General, Roy JD Hall Jr., in an email dated June 16 to Port Director, Falenaoti Loi-On Fruean and Homeland Security Director, Samana Semo Veavea, gave a list of information to be submitted.
He asked for any investigative report, documentation, and a list of witnesses generated as part of the investigation of the Kite Runner.
The listed information:
- The vessel’s registered owner.
- The certificate of registry, and photos of the vessel.
- The American Samoa Port Administration’s departure clearance from Pago Pago Harbor, whether or not it was documented after the vessel departed Pago Pago and clearance documentation was provided to the port of Apia authorities.
- The port clearance of the Kite Runner when it departed Apia to return to Pago Pago.
- The clearance for the vessel when it entered Pago Pago on its return from Apia.
- The Kite Runner captain’s name and his US Coast Guard license. Hall notes that port clearances are the responsibility of the vessel’s captain and a violation may result in disciplinary, suspension or revocation action of the captain’s US Coast Guard maritime license.
- The date and time that the vessel departed from Pago Pago for Apia and the same for when it returned to Pago Pago.
- The date and time that the port clearance team cleared the vessel for departure from Pago Pago to Apia, even if the documentation was issued after the vessel had departed.
- The names of the clearance teams from Port Administration, Health and Customs for the Kite Runner when it returned to Pago Pago.
- The vessel departed Pago Pago for Apia on April 25 and traveled to Savaii where it was held up by police because it had not been given prior clearance.
- One of the missing documentations for the vessel was a Certificate of Clearance from Port Administration and Customs in American Samoa.
