Fepulea'i Attila Ropati | |
---|---|
President of the Land and Titles Court of Samoa | |
In office 1 August 2016 –31 October 2022 | |
Nominated by | Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi |
Appointed by | Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi |
Preceded by | Tuala Tagaloa Sale Kerslake |
Succeeded by | Lesatele Rapi Vaai |
Personal details | |
Alma mater | University of the South Pacific University of Tasmania |
Fepulea'i Attila Ropati (born 1968) [1] is President of the Land and Titles Court of Samoa.
Fepulea'i is from the village of Saleaula. [2] He was educated at the University of the South Pacific,University of New England and the University of Tasmania. [2] He has previously worked as a lawyer,for the Samoa Shipping Corporation and for the Land and Titles Court. From 2008 to 2016 he was Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa. [1] In July 2016 he was appointed as President of the Land and Titles Court, [2] and he was sworn in on 1 August 2016. [1]
In December 2017 Fepulea'i smashed a bottle on the head of a security guard at an end of year party. In March 2018 he took leave from his position as President of the court until criminal charges were resolved. [3] [4] He subsequently pleased guilty to a charge of actual bodily harm,and was discharged without conviction. [5] [6] Following an appeal from the Attorney-General,a re-trial was ordered, [7] [8] and in February 2019 Fepulea'i was convicted of intentionally causing bodily harm and fined US$3,500. [9] In April 2019 he resigned from office, [10] then changed his mind. [11] He was subsequently suspended by the Judicial Services Commission, [12] which recommended he be removed from office. A motion to terminate his position was put before the Legislative Assembly of Samoa,but failed to pass by the required two-thirds majority. [13] Then Deputy-Prime Minister FiamēNaomi Mataʻafa spoke strongly for his removal. [14]
In August 2021 Fepulea'i and the entire Lands and Titles Court boycotted the welcome ceremony for the newly-appointed Minister of Justice. [15]
In November 2021 the Land and Titles Court announced that former Electoral Commissioner Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio would be appointed Deputy President of the Court. Following the announcement,Minister of Justice Matamua Vasati Pulufana suspended the appointment process on the grounds that a "drafting error" in the Land and Titles Bill meant that there were no legal provisions for appointments to the court. [16] Attorney-General Su'a Hellene Wallwork subsequently issued a formal opinion that the lack of appointment provisions meant that no appointments could be made until further legislation had been passed, [17] and that the Komisi o Fa'amasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa,intended to be an appointments and supervisory body for the court,was legally powerless. [18] On this basis,Matamua ordered the Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration not to progress the appointments in any way. Despite this,on 17 December 2021 Fepulea'i purported to swear in Faimalomatumua and two other judges without warrants of appointment from the O le Ao o le Malo,claiming the appointments were "made by God". [19] Prime Minister FiamēNaomi Mataʻafa denounced the appointments as illegal. [20]
On 29 October 2022 the Samoan cabinet told Ropati to vacate office by 1 November. [21] [22] On 30 October the Samoa Observer reported that Supreme Court justice Lesatele Rapi Vaai would be sworn in to replace him. [23] On 1 November the supreme Court refused to grant an interim injunction against Ropati's ousting, [24] and Vaii was sworn in as President of the court on 2 November 2022. [25]
AfiogaFiamēNaomi Mataʻafa is a Samoan politician and High Chiefess (matai) who has served as the seventh Prime Minister of Samoa and leader of the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party since 2021.
SusugaLa'aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt is a Samoan politician,businessman,Cabinet Minister,and former speaker and deputy speaker of the Samoan Parliament. He is the Member of Parliament for the Gagaifomauga No. 3 constituency and is the founder and chairman of the Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) party.
Fagali'i Airport(IATA:FGI,ICAO:NSFI) is a disused airport located in Fagali'i,Samoa. It has operated intermittently since 1970.
Leatinuu Faumuina Asi Pauli Wayne Fong is a Samoan politician and Cabinet Minister who has served as the minister of Commerce,Labour and Industry since 2021.
Savalenoa Mareva Betham Annandale is a Samoan lawyer and jurist. From July 2020 to September 2021,she served as Attorney-General of Samoa. Previously she had served as the first female president of the Samoa Law Society.
General elections were held in Samoa on 9 April 2021 to determine the composition of the 17th Parliament. In March 2021,FiamēNaomi Mataʻafa,a former member of the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) and a former Deputy Prime Minister,was elected to lead the main opposition party,Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST). Prime minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi led the HRPP into the election.
Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi is a political party in Samoa. It was founded by MP La'auli Leuatea Polataivao and is currently led by Prime Minister FiamēNaomi Mataʻafa.
The Land and Titles Bill is one of three bills passed by the Legislative Assembly of Samoa to reform the legal framework around the Land and Titles Court of Samoa and Samoan customary law. The bills are viewed by some as undermining human rights and the rule of law,and are the subject of significant controversy in Samoa.
Papaliʻi Liʻo Oloipola Taeu Masipau is a Samoan politician and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa.
AfiogaTuala Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio is a Samoan politician,lawyer and Cabinet Minister who has served as the deputy prime minister of Samoa since 2021. Elected to parliament as an independent in the 2021 election,he later joined the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi party.
A constitutional crisis began in Samoa on 22 May 2021 when O le Ao o le Malo Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II issued a proclamation purporting to prevent the Legislative Assembly from meeting in the wake of the general election in April 2021. Court rulings had upheld the election results,giving a parliamentary majority to the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party,led by FiamēNaomi Mataʻafa. On 24 May 2021,a makeshift ceremony was held outside of Parliament to swear in Mata'afa as prime minister. On 23 July the Court of Appeal declared that the ceremony was binding and that FAST had been the government since that date.
Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molioo is a Samoan politician and Cabinet Minister. She is the first woman ever appointed finance minister of Samoa. She is a member of the FAST Party.
Matamua Seumanu Vasati Pulufana is a Samoan politician and Cabinet Minister. She is a member of the FAST Party.
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.
Fepuleai Fa'asavalu Faimata Su'a is a Samoan politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa. He is a member of the FAST Party.
The Land and Titles Court of Samoa is a specialist court dealing with Matai titles and customary land in Samoa.
Six simultaneous by-elections were held in Samoa on 26 November 2021. They were called in the aftermath of the 2021 Samoan general election,which resulted in seven seats being vacant due to resignations and convictions for bribery and treating. While seven by-elections were called,the contest in Falealupo was resolved without the need for a poll,after the Supreme Court declared the HRPP candidate Tuitogamanaia Peniamina Le'avai to be ineligible,resulting in the FAST Party's Fuiono Tenina Crichton being elected unopposed.
Fuiono Tenina Crichton is a Samoan politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa. He is a member of the FAST Party.
Su'a Hellene Wallwork-Lamb is a Samoan lawyer and jurist. Since September 2021 she has been Attorney-General of Samoa.
To'omata Norah Leota is a Samoan politician and former member of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa. She is a member of the FAST Party.