Samoan youth fined £2,600, 30 boxes of tinned fish and two cows for ridiculing prime minister

The family of a youth who made a video ridiculing Samoa's prime minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, was ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 Samoan tālā (£2,600, US$4,300), 30 boxes of tinned fish and two cows.



The decision was made by the Sili Village Council on Thursday. Failure to provide the items that day would have resulted in the family being evicted from the village. “The family paid up the monetary fine and provided everything else that the Ali’i ma Faipule asked for,” a source said.

As the result, he said “the family was forgiven” and told to make sure the youth does not “misbehave again.” The source said all five church ministers in Sili received part of the money and food from the family’s punishment in line with traditional protocol.



The decision by Sili followed a traditional apology by the Ali’i ma Faipule - the high chiefs and orators - to Prime Minister Tuilaepa at his residence at Ululoloa last Saturday. Asked for a comment, Tuilaepa said he accepted the apology and had forgiven the youth, saying it showed Samoan culture was in a healthy state.