Financial Crime World

Public Corruption and Financial Crime in Samoa: A New Government’s Promise to Combat Graft

Introduction

In 2021, Samoa made headlines when Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa became the country’s first female prime minister after an election marred by corruption allegations. Her government vowed to restore integrity and revive the fight against nepotism. Two years on, how is the new administration doing?

Corruption in Samoa: A Historical Context

Under the previous Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) government, corruption was a major concern, with 49% of respondents in a nationwide survey saying it was a problem in the government sector. However, Samoa’s control over corruption has improved over time, according to the Worldwide Governance Indicators.

Increased Funding for Integrity Agencies

The HRPP government increased funding for key integrity agencies, including:

  • The Ombudsman’s Office: recurrent funding rose from 773,000 tala (AUD428,879) in 2008-09 to 1.8 million tala in 2020-21
  • Controller and Auditor General
  • Public Service Commission
  • Police

New Government’s Promises

The Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party promised to increase funding for key integrity agencies in its first budget, with a 71% rise for the Public Service Commission. The government’s subsequent budget gave most key integrity agencies more funding than they received under the previous government, except for the Transnational Crime Unit.

Challenges and Uncertainties

While these promises are promising, it is uncertain whether they will materialize. In other Pacific nations, governments have made similar promises only to undermine and underfund integrity agencies later on.

Proposed Initiatives

The FAST party has also proposed developing an anti-corruption strategy, introducing a National Integrity Office by 2024, and reviving the National Prosecution Office. However, these initiatives are yet to be implemented.

Room for Improvement

A review of Samoa’s implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption highlights that there are many ways for the country to improve its anti-corruption response. For now, the new government’s initial integrity and anti-corruption efforts appear to be moving in the right direction.

  • Develop an anti-corruption strategy
  • Introduce a National Integrity Office by 2024
  • Revive the National Prosecution Office
  • Increase funding for key integrity agencies
  • Implement initiatives to improve Samoa’s anti-corruption response