OPINION : Lady Justice is blind

2026-03-28 - 21:34

The reason why lady justice wears a blindfold is that she is expected to be impartial and neutral when delivering justice. However, when the public perceives that a legal decision defies common sense or is out of touch with reality, the common literary reference used is that “the law is an ass”. Four times, the decision in the case against the Prime Minister and his colleagues, who were charged by the Police with perverting the course of justice, was postponed. Defendants in the case also chose not to challenge the allegations against them during the court proceedings, which suggested that they had no defense. Lawyers consulted by our party after the case was heard were of the opinion that the accused were all guilty. The only person vindicated by the court decision is the Hon. Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi, who has now been cleared of the baseless allegations made by Samuelu Sua and his supporters, that the senior HRPP Member of Parliament had murdered Tuuau. The decision delivers justice and much comfort to Lealailepule and his family who have endured great disrespect and relentless abuse from his accusers. So the question remains – Who murdered Tuuau? The Police investigation into the case must continue. The now convicted Samuelu, appears to know who committed the murder, yet continued to provide false testimony during the court proceedings. While Lealailepule has been exonerated, uncertainty remains over the Prime Minister’s involvement in this case, which will continue to be scrutinized as long as the murder of Tuuau remains unsolved. Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi Leader of HRPP