%20and%20current%20MP%20Tunumafono%20Clare%20Tai%20Tin%20(right).webp?w=2136&resize=2136,0&ssl=1 "Former Safata I MP Anapu Seve Te‘i, left, and current MP Tunumafono Clare Tai Tin. The Government has confirmed the ST0,000 cash withdrawal but has not published a detailed breakdown of the expenditure.")
The Government of Samoa has confirmed that former Safata I District Council chairperson Anapu Seve Te‘i cashed ST$750,000 from the district’s development account in March 2026, saying the money was used for Back-to-School assistance payments.
The explanation was contained in a second Government response following Samoa Observer reports about Safata I’s district development funds and calls from the Ali‘i and Faipule of Sa‘anapu for greater transparency.
The official release, issued on Monday, 17 August 2026, was presented as a statement from current Safata I District Council chairperson Tunumafono Clare Tai Tin.
It confirms the central transaction raised in the earlier reporting, but does not include a recipient list, expenditure breakdown, receipts or a completed audit showing how the ST$750,000 was spent.
“The $750,000 cashed by Anapu Seve Te‘i in March 2026 was used to pay $150 for the Back-to-School assistance project as she was the Chairperson of the District Development Council and the authority to sign and cash the project funds,” the release said.
The Government said ST$1.26 million was initially released to each of Samoa’s 51 district councils for the Back-to-School assistance programme.
It said the money was also used for university and tertiary education fees, council staff salaries, allowances for council members, office expenses, electricity, water, internet, stationery and other needs for district primary schools and colleges while the One Government Grant was delayed.
However, the release does not state how much Safata I spent in each category, how many people received the ST$150 assistance or how much of the ST$1.26 million remained after those expenses.
If the entire ST$750,000 had been distributed in ST$150 payments, it would represent 5,000 payments. The Government release does not say whether the full amount was used only for those payments or whether some of it covered the other expenses listed.
Sa‘anapu calls for transparency
The Government was responding to reports that the Ali‘i and Faipule of Sa‘anapu had demanded transparency over Safata I’s ST$1.8 million allocation, saying their village had received no benefit from the funding.
The release described those reports as “one-sided” and said the accusations were incorrect because villagers had been eligible to receive ST$150 each through the Back-to-School programme.
It said the payment period closed on 30 June 2026 and that anyone who did not receive the assistance had been given sufficient time to claim it.
The statement also rejected what it described as a belief that the remaining district funds were supposed to be divided between the villages.
“It seems, some people of Saanapu village believe the balance of the funds was divided among the villages of the district. This is incorrect as nothing like that happened,” the release said.
The statement does not establish whether Sa‘anapu’s leaders were asking for the remaining money to be divided directly between villages or whether they were seeking an account of how the wider district allocation had been used.
Individual ST$150 assistance payments are also different from funding for a village development project or other community infrastructure.
Questions over control of the account
The Government’s latest explanation follows an earlier statement issued on 12 August after questions were raised about the Safata I account.
As we previously reported, bank statements reviewed by the Samoa Observer reportedly showed the ST$750,000 was withdrawn on 14 March 2026, the same day approximately ST$1.26 million was deposited into the district account.
The withdrawal reportedly occurred four days after Tunumafono was sworn in as the new Safata I MP and Associate Minister of Revenue.
Seve and the council’s principal executive officer, Vaelua Tafau, reportedly signed the cheque.
The records reportedly showed that Seve subsequently made withdrawals of ST$10,000 on 8 April, ST$10,000 on 15 April and ST$5,000 on 5 May.
Tunumafono reportedly withdrew a further ST$30,000 in cash on 27 May.
The new Government release does not explain why Seve remained an authorised signatory after Tunumafono became the district’s MP and council chairperson. It also does not address the subsequent withdrawals or provide a current balance for the account.
Audit still to come
The release said expenses and project appraisals had been documented and would form part of Safata I’s audited district fund reports.
“The project funds expenses and appraisal are documented and will be as part of the district funds audited reports, as required under the District Development Project,” it said.
No audit report or supporting financial documents accompanied the release.
The absence of those records does not establish that the money was improperly used. However, it means the Government’s explanation that the ST$750,000 funded school assistance cannot yet be independently checked against a detailed public account.
The release also defended the selection of Safata I District Council members, saying the approved District Development Project policy gives the chairperson the authority to choose council members.
The Government said all expenditure was documented and would be audited under the programme’s funding agreements.
The latest statement provides the first direct Government explanation of the ST$750,000 Safata I cash withdrawal. Questions remain about control of the account following the change in political representation and when the full audited expenditure report will be made available.
This article is based on a Government of Samoa official release issued on 17 August 2026, earlier reporting by the Samoa Observer and Pacific Media Network, and Samoa NewsHub’s previous report published on 12 August 2026.
