Misplaced Pages

Peseta Vaifou Tevaga (also known as Peseta Vaifou Tevagaena) is a Samoan politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa. He is a member of the Human Rights Protection Party.

Tevaga is a former policeman and runs a construction business. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Samoa at the 2011 Samoan general election and appointed Associate Minister of Finance. In late 2011 he allegedly hit a disabled man while driving a government vehicle. He was subsequently charged with negligent driving causing injury, but this was subsequently upgraded to dangerous driving causing death after the victim died. The charge was dropped in August 2013 after key witnesses were unable to attend the hearing. In the interim he was sacked as Associate Finance Minister over concerns around conflicts of interest when tendering for government projects. In August 2014 he was arrested and charged with drunk-driving after an accident involving a government vehicle. In May 2015 he was convicted of dangerous driving over the incident and fined $100.

Tevaga was re-elected in the 2016 election and appointed Associate Minister for Prime Minister & Cabinet. In October 2015, shortly before the election, he began a long-running legal dispute with fellow MP Laauli Leuatea Polataivao over a business they were partners in. An investigation of his complaints by police resulted in Tevaga being charged with forgery and falsifying documents over a share-transfer form. The charges were dismissed in October 2016. In 2017 he commenced legal proceedings against Polataivao, accusing him of dishonesty in managing the company. The civil claim was dismissed in November 2017. Polataivao subsequently resigned from Cabinet after being charged with more than a hundred counts of forgery and theft; he was acquitted of all charges in June 2020.

In 2018 a company part-owned by Tevaga was awarded a $1.3 million contract to build an airport on Upolu. He denied any conflict of interest.

Tevaga was re-elected in the 2021 election.

References

1. ^ "Samoa Minister charged with drunk driving". RNZ. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
2. "Samoa MP denies in parliament involvement in public tender". RNZ. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
3. "Samoa associate minister to stand trial on negligent driving charge". RNZ. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
4. "Samoa associate minister to face serious traffic offence charge". RNZ. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
5. "Samoan Minister Cleared Of Charge In Fatal Car Accident". Pacific Islands Report. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
6. "Samoa MP walks free from road death case". RNZ. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
7. "Two associate finance ministers in Samoa dumped". RNZ. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
8. "Samoa MP guilty of dangerous driving". RNZ. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
9. Pai Mulitalo Ale (7 March 2016). "Peseta returns to serve his constituency". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
10. "Samoa's former deputy PM left out". RNZ. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
11. "Samoa minister goes against speaker in a civil court fight". RNZ. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
12. "Samoa Associate Minister charged with forgery". RNZ. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
13. "Samoan minister testifes against cabinet colleague". RNZ. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
14. "Samoa associate minister not guilty of fraud and forgery". RNZ. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
15. "Samoa Associate Minister Sues Minister For $1.2 Million Over Business Dispute". Pacific Islands Report. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
16. "Samoa politician takes legal action over nonu juice business". RNZ. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
17. "Court rules in nonu Peseta's civil claim". Samoa Observer. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
18. "Former Samoa govt minister and four others face 233 charges". RNZ. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
19. "Samoan MP found not guilty but media man guilty of forgery". RNZ. 27 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
20. "Samoan minister involved with tender-winning company". RNZ. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
21. Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu (25 September 2018). "Peseta a major shareholder in company that won Airport contract". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
22. "Samoa MP denies conflict of interest over tender process". RNZ. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
23. "FAST Ushers In More New MPs Than HRPP". Newsline Samoa. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.

• Living people
• Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa
• Human Rights Protection Party politicians