Two individuals who colluded to murder the former Prime Minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, have been convicted.

The Samoa Observer has reported that Paulo, also known as King Faipopo, and Sione, who were two of the four men charged in 2019 for conspiring to murder Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, had maintained their innocence and pleaded not guilty. One of the defendants, Taualai Leiloa, has already pleaded guilty and has been in prison since 2020. The fourth defendant, Talalelei Pauga, also known as “Ninja,” is currently being detained in Australia, and the authorities are working on extraditing him to Samoa to face the charges. However, Supreme Court Justice Vui Clarence Nelson has stated that it is uncertain when the defendant will be extradited.