Mulitalo Siafausa Vui

Vaiotu Mulitalo Sealiimalietoa Siafausa Vui (1945 - 21 July 2013)[2] was a Samoan politician and Cabinet Minister.

Mulitalo Siafausa Vui
Minister of Communications and Information Technology
In office
24 April 2006  16 August 2006
Prime MinisterTuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi
Preceded byMisa Telefoni Retzlaff
Succeeded bySafuneitu'uga Pa'aga Neri
Minister of Health
In office
20 March 2001  24 April 2006
Preceded byMisa Telefoni Retzlaff
Succeeded byGatoloaifaana Amataga Alesana-Gidlow
Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa
In office
1996  20 March 2001
Member of the Samoa Parliament
for Fa'asaleleaga No. 4
In office
26 April 1996  16 August 2006
Preceded byVui Viliamu
Succeeded byVui Tupe Ioane
Personal details
Died21 July 2013
Tupua Tamasese Mea'ole hospital, Apia, Samoa[1]
Political partyHuman Rights Protection Party

Vui was born in Lano, Samoa and had served as Commissioner of Police.[2] He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Samoa in the 1996 election and served as Deputy Speaker.[3] He was re-elected in the 2001 election and appointed Minister of Health.[4][5] As Health Minister he established the Kidney Foundation and a local dialysis unit.[1][6] In September 2005 while Acting Prime Minister he attempted to crush strike action by local doctors by bringing in strikebreakers from New Zealand.[7] After a government inquiry into the doctors' grievances failed to recommend a pay rise, all public hospital doctors resigned.[8]

He was re-elected in the 2006 election and appointed Minister of Communications and Information Technology.[9] He was subsequently convicted of bribery and treating in an election petition brought by his defeated rival Sua Rimoni Ah Chong, and his election was declared void.[10] Vui threatened to sue the Attorney-General's office for failing to support him,[11] and encouraged the government to bring criminal charges against Ah Chong,[12] which ultimately resulted in his conviction.[13]

Vui was subsequently appointed Public Service Commissioner in October 2007.[14] In 2008 he appeared in court on charges of carrying a weapon after arming himself with a rifle during a land dispute.[15] He was eventually convicted and discharged.[16] In March 2009 he and his family were banished for life from the village of Vaimoso after bestowing a high-ranking matai title on members of his family without village permission.[17] The banishment was subsequently upheld by the lands and Titles Court.[18]

Vui ran again for the seat of Fa'asaleleaga No. 4 in the 2011 election, but was unsuccessful.[19]

In 2009 he was charged with 20 counts of indecent assault against a woman who worked for him.[20] The case was not made public as he was granted name suppression.[20] In July 2012 he was convicted on ten counts.[21][22][23] An initial sentence of a $3,000 fine was appealed,[20] and he was ultimately given a two-year suspended sentence.[24]

He died of heart failure at Tupua Tamasese Mea'ole hospital in Apia in July 2013.[1]

References

  1. "Death of former health minister of Samoa". RNZ. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  2. "Passing Tributes". SPASIFIK. No. 58. 24 September 2013. p. 12. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  3. "TRIAL BEGINS IN SAMOA OVER IMPROPER TITLES". Pacific Islands Report. 11 March 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  4. "Misa becomes new Minister of Finance". Samoa Observer. 20 March 2001. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  5. "SAMOA'S TUILAEPA SAYS HE'S SAD TO SEE TUIATUA STEP DOWN". Pacific Islands Report. 26 March 2001. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  6. "Samoa opts for independence in dialysis". RNZ. 27 July 2004. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  7. "Samoa says it wants New Zealand doctors to cover strike". RNZ. 20 September 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  8. "Samoan public hospital doctors resign after unsuccessful strike". RNZ. 16 November 2005. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  9. "Five new faces in new Samoa cabinet". RNZ. 24 April 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  10. "Samoa Supreme Court declare void two parliamentary seats". RNZ. 17 August 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  11. "Former Samoa cabinet minister considering sueing attorney-general's office". RNZ. 18 August 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  12. "Samoa's Mulitalo wants criminal charges laid after election petition defeat". RNZ. 18 August 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  13. "Former government minister in Samoa hails court case victory". RNZ. 28 September 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  14. "Annual Report 2012-13" (PDF). Office of the Samoa Public Service Commission. 30 January 2015. p. 13. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  15. "Former Samoan minister in court for carrying weapon". RNZ. 12 November 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  16. "Former Samoa MP found guilty of one count of possession of a firearm". RNZ. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  17. "Samoa's former broadcasting minister banished for life". RNZ. 9 March 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  18. "Court in Samoa orders former politician to leave village". RNZ. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  19. "TC No. 26 –Faasaleleaga Nu 4". Office of the Electoral Commissioner. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  20. "Former Samoa Minister Mulitalo Given Additional Sentence". Pacific Islands Report. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  21. "Samoa court finds former cabinet minister guilty of indecent acts". RNZ. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  22. "Former Samoa Minister Convicted Of Indecency". Pacific islands Report. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  23. "Order lifted, ex-Minister guilty of indecent assault". Samoa News. 21 July 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  24. "Former Samoa Cabinet Minister Gets Suspended Sentence". Pacific Islands Report. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
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