Posted on: Friday, March 4, 2005
FBI raid shakes up American Samoa
Associated Press
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — More than 20 armed FBI agents raided this U.S. territory's government offices yesterday, blocking the entrances to the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
The government's main computer room was also cordoned off, according to eyewitnesses at the building.
The raid was the talk of the territory, which has a population of about 58,000, and onlookers milled after the raid as agents guarded closed doors.
Agents did not disclose the object of the surprise invasion and search, which took place before most of the government workers arrived in the building.
Government employees were not allowed into their offices after the 7 a.m. raid. Workers were given access to the governor's office an hour later, but the public was still being kept out.
Senior FBI agents met with Lt. Gov. Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia.
The computer room and attorney general's office were still blocked completely several hours after the raid.
The sight of armed agents in the capital was unusual because American Samoan police are unarmed.
A spokesman for Gov. Togiola T.A. Tulafono's office said a statement would be released later. Tulafono was in Washington attending meetings yesterday.
In Honolulu, FBI Special Agent Arnold Laanui confirmed that agents were executing a search warrant but declined to comment on the nature of the investigation. As for how many agents participated in the raid, he only said: "There's a good number of agents that are there."
Most of the federal agents arrived in Pago Pago aboard a C-130 military plane, which was still parked on the tarmac at Pago Pago International Airport yesterday afternoon.
In September, a government committee recommended that Sunia be placed on leave and his name removed from the ballot because he was being investigated on allegations of corruption.
The Senate committee was investigating allegations of corruption, violation of purchasing laws and misappropriation of public funds in transactions related to a company owned by Sunia and his wife.
Tulafono called the investigation a witch hunt against his administration during an election year. Tulafono and Sunia were re-elected in November.
American Samoa is a U.S. territory about 2,300 miles south of Hawai'i.
