Issue of ASG personnel testifying at Fono appears to be resolved

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Executive Branch cabinet members and ASG employees will return to testify during House of Representative hearings, after the suspension Gov. Lemanu P. S. Mauga enacted in an Apr. 06 memorandum has been resolved following a meeting with House Speaker Savali Talavou Ale.

Gov. Lemanu made the brief announcement during yesterday’s cabinet meeting at the American Samoa Community College Multipurpose Center.

The governor issued a memorandum, dated Apr. 06 saying that all testimony by Directors, Agency Heads, and Executive Branch Employees in the House of Representative hearings is suspended.

And those who receive notices from the House to appear for a hearing are instructed not to attend. Further guidance and instruction on when witness appearances are to resume would be forthcoming as necessary, the memo read.

A news release issued Sunday night by the Governor’s Office states in part of the suspension was due to concerns that some line of questioning may have exceeded the scope of the topic being investigated during hearings.

“Questions of a personal nature may be inappropriate under current federal and local laws and regulations,” according to the news release.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting, the governor said the memo was issued for House hearings, due to concerns over questions that are not appropriate with issues discussed during hearings.

Lemanu said he has met with the House Speaker for discussion and the outcome is that Executive Branch witnesses will return to testifying in House hearings, either today or sometime this week.

He said the House Speaker had spoken with House members regarding hearings and they will resume this week.

The governor’s memo was mentioned briefly in yesterday’s Senate session but Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean advised senators to move forward with hearings and reminded all to be respectful of witnesses who appear before committee hearings.

Samoa News understands that the governor’s memo was discussed in the House yesterday but specific details were not immediately available at press time. Samoa News will report on it later this week.