Lesatele Rapi Vaai Explained

Lesatele Rapi Vaai
Office:President of the Land and Titles Court of Samoa
Term Start:2 November 2022
Predecessor:Fepulea'i Attila Ropati

Lesatele Rapi Vaai is a Samoan judge and President of the Land and Titles Court of Samoa. He served on the Supreme Court of Samoa until 2017, and again from 2020.

Vaai is a former president of the Samoa law Society.[1] He was appointed to the District Court of Samoa in 1996.[2] He later served as President of the Land and Titles Court of Samoa.[3] He was later appointed to the Supreme Court of Samoa.

He retired from the Court in February 2017 to take up a judicial position in Nauru.[4] Following his retirement he was appointed to chair a Commission of Inquiry into the actions of three police officers accused of misconduct and evidence tampering.[5] In November 2020 he was reappointed to the Supreme Court as a temporary judge for a term of one year to help deal with election-related cases.[6] [7]

Justice Vaai has also presided over an application on April 14 2022 by Talalei Pauga to set aside a warrant of arrest issued by former Supreme Court of Samoa Deputy Registrar Fataasi, for conspiracy to murder the former Prime Minister of Samoa which affidavit material sworn by Fataasi evidenced to be on the instructions of Justice Clark.[8] Justice Vaai's decision is yet to be published more than one year later.

On 29 October 2022 the Samoan cabinet told Land and Titles Court of Samoa President Fepulea'i Attila Ropati to vacate office by 1 November.[9] [10] On 30 October the Samoa Observer reported that Vaai would be sworn in to replace him.[11] He was sworn in as President of the court on 2 November 2022.[12]

Notes and References

  1. News: Saga of the sacked Auditor-General . Pacific Islands Monthly . 65 . 11 . 12 . 1 November 1995 . 20 July 2021 . National Library of Australia.
  2. Web site: Ministry of Justice bid farewell to Justice Lesatele Rapi Vaai . Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171016145945/https://www.mjca.gov.ws/images/news/Ministry-of-Justice-bid-farewell-to-Justice-Lesatele-Rapi-Vaai.pdf . 16 October 2017.
  3. Web site: RELIGION IN SAMOA IS FREE, COURT RULES IN OVERTURNING BANISHMENT . Pacific Islands Report . 26 August 2002 . 20 July 2021.
  4. Web site: Justice Vaai returns to local bench . Lanuola Tusani Tupufia - Ah Tong . Samoa Observer . 5 November 2020 . 20 July 2021.
  5. Web site: A retired Samoa judge is to lead police inquiry . RNZ . 1 June 2017 . 20 July 2021.
  6. Web site: Supreme Court of Samoa Recalls Lesatele Rapi Vaai . Maina Vai . Samoa Global News . 6 November 2020 . 20 July 2021.
  7. Web site: Retired judge to preside over Samoa election eligibility cases . RNZ . 9 November 2020 . 20 July 2021.
  8. Web site: Murder defendant challenges arrest warrant .
  9. Web site: L.T.C. President asked to vacate office by 1 November . Samoa Observer . Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi . 29 October 2022 . 30 October 2022.
  10. Web site: Government terminates Lands & Titles Court President’s Term . Talamua . Lagi Keresoma . 29 October 2022 . 31 October 2022.
  11. Web site: S.C. Justice to return as the L.T.C. President . Samoa Observer . Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi . 30 October 2022 . 30 October 2022.
  12. Web site: Lesatele sworn-in as L.T.C. President; scrutinises new laws . Samoa Observer . Matai'a Lanuola Tusani T - Ah Tong . 2 November 2022 . 2 November 2022.

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