Two men charged in Sāmoa over alleged Vietnam murder plot

Two men have appeared in a Sāmoan court after being charged over an alleged plot linked to the fatal shooting of an Australian citizen in Vietnam earlier this year.

Sāmoa Police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a joint statement on Thursday that a 31-year-old New Zealand national and a 33-year-old Sāmoan national were charged with conspiracy to murder on 10 September.

Police have not named either of the two men.

They appeared in court on Wednesday and were granted conditional bail.

The charge, under section 106 of Sāmoa’s Crimes Act 2013, carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Sāmoa Police allege the two men conspired with two Sāmoan nationals who were arrested in Vietnam over their alleged roles in the shooting.

Joseph Va’a and Steve Tofa were arrested in Vietnam in May over their alleged roles in the fatal shooting of an Australian citizen in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo/VTV

The case began after an Australian citizen was killed and another person seriously injured in a shooting in Ho Chi Minh City on 21 May.

Vietnamese authorities arrested two Sāmoan men, aged 22 and 26, three days later.

Sāmoa Police have not publicly detailed what they allege each of the four men did in connection with the shooting.

Lorenzo Lemalu was fatally shot in Ho Chi Minh City on 21 May, in the Vietnam shooting now linked to an alleged conspiracy investigated across Sāmoa, Australia and Vietnam. Photo/Instagram

The 31-year-old New Zealand national had already been arrested in Sāmoa on 27 May and charged with misleading police and corruption offences as part of the investigation.

Police said he was arrested while trying to leave the country.

The investigation then widened with the AFP assisting Sāmoa Police and other international law enforcement agencies to establish whether more people were involved.

According to Thursday’s joint statement, AFP officers assisted with a search warrant, financial inquiries, witness interviews, and a forensic review of electronic material.

Police say those inquiries, along with further work by Sāmoa Police, led to the latest conspiracy charges.

The financial side of the investigation had also expanded by late May.

The Central Bank of Sāmoa ordered commercial banks to freeze accounts and financial instruments linked to several people as financial inquiries into the Vietnam shooting investigation widened. Photo/File

The Central Bank of Sāmoa directed commercial banks to freeze accounts and financial instruments linked to six people after a request from the Sāmoa Police and the Transnational Crime Unit.

A further order was issued in early June covering three more people.

Sāmoa authorities have also been working with Vietnamese officials over the two men detained there.

In June, the government said it had used diplomatic channels and international partners to help communicate with Vietnam and obtain information about the welfare of the two Sāmoan nationals.

It also warned against speculation that could affect legal proceedings.

The case had earlier raised concerns from Sāmoa’s Office of the Ombudsman and National Human Rights Institution after video footage of statements attributed to the two men was circulated publicly.

Steve Tofa and Joseph Va’a in video footage later raising fair-trial concerns.

The Ombudsman questioned whether the men had effective access to legal counsel when the statements were recorded and whether releasing the footage before trial could affect their right to a fair and impartial process.

It called for independent legal representation, appropriate consular support, and compliance with Vietnamese and international fair-trial standards.

Greg Davis, AFP Acting Commander Pacific, said the latest charges showed the role of international cooperation in the investigation.

“The charges laid are the result of extensive cooperation between Sāmoa Police, Vietnamese authorities and the AFP, demonstrating what can be achieved when law enforcement agencies work together across borders,” he said.

“Organised crime does not respect national boundaries, so law enforcement agencies must work together to combat them.”

The investigation remains ongoing and the two men charged in Sāmoa have not been convicted of any offence because the allegations have yet to be tested in court.