Girl tells about affair with Church Minister

A key witness in a hearing involving the President of Samoa Victims Support Group (S.V.S.G), Siliniu Lina Chang, and three others, accused of defeating the cause of justice, has admitted to an affair (fa’anunumi) with a church Minister.

The confession by Susan Caroline Stowers was made in the District Court yesterday where she was summoned to give evidence.

The witness told the Court she had an affair with the Minister to get back at his wife for mistreating her.

“Yes (I had an affair),” Ms. Stowers said.

Where did you have sex with the Church Minister?

“At the parish’s house (fale o le galuega).”

How many times did you have sex with the Minister in the parish house?

Twice, she said. Presiding over the matter is District Court Judge, Vaepule Vaemoa Va’ai.

The prosecutor is, Fepulea’i Patrick Fepulea’i. Other defendants are S.V.S.G. employee, Tumua Luafalealo, Elaine Ulia- Faiga and Police officer, Salaa Sale Salaa.

Siliniu and Tumua are represented by Taulapapa Brenda Heather-Latu.

Alalatoa Rosella Papali’i is the lawyer for Ulia-Faiga while Papali’i Taeu Masipau is representing Salaa.

The defendants face four charges.

The first charge is where they are all accused of being parties in an attempt to defeat the cause of justice.

Siliniu and Sala’a then face a charge over the arrangement for Ms. Stowers’ parents to withdraw a complaint she filed against Ulia-Faiga in July 2013.

The third charge is against Siliniu and Tumua for defeating the cause of justice.

They are accused of an attempt to ensure Ms. Stowers left the country before a hearing, which had been scheduled for 24 July 2013.

Lastly, the defendants are accused of informing Ms. Stowers on 30th September – 1st November 2015 not to cooperate with the Police investigation. A summary of facts read out in Court stated the matter dates back in 2011 – 2012 when Ulia-Faiga and her husband, Reverend Terry Faiga, who is a C.C.C.S Minister, were serving at Lano, Savai’i.

The Court heard that Ms. Stowers and her family attended the parish pastored by the Minister and his wife. Rev. Terry and his wife asked Ms. Stowers’ parents if she could live with them and have them take her in as their adopted daughter.

During the time Ms. Stowers stayed with the couple, a charge of indecent assault arose and she decided to return to her home to live with her parents, who are also from Lano.

The Court was told that Ms. Stowers and her family filed a complaint with the S.V.S.G. Office in Salelologa. Her case was then referred to the main office in Apia.

In 2013, Ulia-Faiga was charged and summoned before the District Court at Tuasivi Savai’i.

The hearing was set for 25 July 2013.

Prior to the Court proceedings, in December 2012, when Ms. Stowers was under the care of S.V.S.G, a meeting was called.

The meeting was attended by Rev. Faiga, his parents, Ms. Stowers’ parents and Siliniu.

Siliniu then contacted Sala’a of the Police where she allegedly asked to have the case withdrawn since the parties had reconciled.

Luafalealo apparently assisted Sala’a to type the letter for the Police Commissioner, requesting for the case to be withdrawn. Ms. Stowers was present and later signed the letter.

According to the summary of facts, the request was not accepted by the Commissioner, who responded that the matter was before Court.

According to the prosecution, a plan was then hatched for Ms. Stowers to leave the country. She was asked to depart for Pago Pago before the hearing on 25 July 2013. She left on 24 July.

On the day of the hearing in Tuasivi Savai’i, Sala’a informed Ms. Stowers’ father to tell the Court that his daughter had gone to American Samoa for good and that the matter had been resolved.

The Court then made an order to dismiss the charges against Ulia-Faiga.

When a copy of the report reached one of the Assistant Police Commissioners, Lei’ataua Salale Aviga, he initiated an investigation into why the case was withdrawn. This investigation has resulted in the charges against the defendants.

In Court yesterday, Ms. Stowers said she did not agree for the Minister and his wife to adopt her. She explained that the village of Lano has a taboo on any girl or boy being allowed to sleep in the church Minister’s house.

“I went back to my family because of the bad things that were done to me,” Ms. Stowers told the Court. “I never approved of their request to adopt me but my parents had agreed that I live with them so I can do their chores and sleep there.”

Ms. Stowers recalled that the day she left the Minister’s house to go back to her family was a Sunday. She said when she came to church, Ulia-Faiga screamed at her to leave.

“In my mind she shouldn’t be speaking to me like that and the way she’s treating me is not right but I obeyed and left to go home.”

She also spoke about when the case was handled by S.V.S.G.

The 22-year-old who is now a cashier with one of the wholesales in Savai’i said she had seen how Siliniu “changed”.

She recalled weeks before her Court case in Tuasivi, the S.V.S.G President had called her “cheeky.” She said that if “I wasn’t cheeky these things wouldn’t have happened.”

“I’ve seen how Lina changed from the first time I met her. The first time I spoke with her she welcomed me and smiled but after those meetings (with Elaine) she had changed and told me off, saying I was cheeky.

“It seemed like I was the bad one and she (Elaine) was the victim.”

Ms. Stowers said she was later asked by Siliniu to apologise to Ulia-Faiga and others that had met on that day to resolve the matter and she obeyed. She supported the summary of facts when she said she was asked to leave before the Court case on the 25th July 2013.

Lawyer Taulapapa was the first to cross examine Ms. Stowers. The lawyer asked how old she was when the incident happened in 2012. She responded she was 18.

Taulapapa also sought clarification over whether Ms. Stowers had known the church Minister before 2012 when he was a teacher at Tuasivi College and how long she had lived in the Minister’s house.

Ms. Stowers replied she had only known Terry when they came into Lano in 2012 and she had not known him when he was a teacher at Tuasivi.

“But you had said in your statement that you lived with Terry and his wife in 2011?” the lawyer asked.

The witness insisted that she did not. She said she lived with couple from 2012 – 2013.

Moving on, Taulapapa asked who had lifted the taboo, which allowed her to live with the Minister and his wife when Lano forbids it. She also asked why she had left and returned to her family home.

Ms. Stowers replied she does not know who lifted the taboo and she repeated she left because bad things were done to her.

Taulapapa then questioned Ms. Stowers about part of her statement in which she talked about having an affair (fa’anunumi) with Ulia-Faiga’s husband.

“That is not the case that we are discussing,” Ms. Stowers responded.

But Judge Vaepule ordered the witness to answer the question.

“Yes (I had an affair),” she said.

Taulapapa pressed for her to explain what fa’anunumi means.

Ms. Stowers said it was a relationship, a sexual relationship.

Where did you have sex with the Church Minister?

“At the parish’s house (fale o le galuega),” said Ms. Stowers.

How many times did you have sex with the Minister in the parish house and how many at the Salelavalu hotel? Twice at the parish house and three times at Salelavalu, she responded.

“You said in your evidence you don’t know why she’s (Elaine) talking to me like that and it’s not right how she’s treating me,” said Taulapapa.

“Are you saying that it’s not right for her (Elaine) to get angry at you for what you have done?”

Ms. Stowers insisted that Elaine did things to her before the affair with the Minister happened when she left their house.

At that point, Taulapapa reminded the witness that she had told the Police “those problems” happened in November 2012.

Why did she report it 13 months after?

Ms. Stowers said Ulia-Faiga hurt her when she chased her out of the church.

“Susan it seems that if people don’t do what you want you basically do something about it, right?” asked Taulapapa.

“In honest truth, Terry distracted you and your messing around started when he was a teacher at Tuasivi and you were a student.

“For a man who was in Malua for 14 years and graduated making his way to his first village, he looked at you and decided to take you in as an adopted child and did other things when he should’ve known better?”

Ms. Stowers said she does not know what the lawyer was talking about.

Taulapapa put it to the witness if she knew that it was the Minister who made a request to the village to lift the taboo to allow her to live with him and his wife.

Again, Ms. Stowers said she does not know.

Taulapapa then asked Ms. Stowers if it was true that she fell pregnant with the Minister’s child where she had a miscarriage.

Ms. Stowers said she does not remember.

Other questions put to the witness was about pictures of her and the Minister being posted on Facebook in 2012 and 2013.

“Is it true that the reason why you lodged the complaint with S.V.S.G (against Elaine) is so he can divorce his wife?”

“Isn’t this also the reason why S.V.S.G changed their view on you and saw that the faletua (Elaine) is the victim and you probably are a victim of adultery with the Minister from Malua?

“Did you know that works at the parish in Lano were put on hold while this is all happening?

“Do you know if he is giving evidence or is he letting you carry the load alone?

“Did you know that your parents and others involved met to resolve this in an attempt to hide this shameful and disgraceful thing that happened? This was all planned by you and the Minister, is that correct?” asked Taulapapa.

Ms. Stowers replied she does not know.

Next to cross examine was Papali’i Masipau.

He asked Ms. Stowers if she was aware that his client Sala’a was only guiding her and Tumua on the process of things in writing the letter to Police Commissioner whether he accepts the request to withdraw.

The witness said she does not know.

Papali’i insisted the only reason Sala’a came to S.VS.G. was to explain the process they had to go through to write to the Police Commissioner.

She said yes.

When it was Alalatoa’s turn to query the witness, she asked Ms. Stowers if she was related to the church Minister and how she was related to him.

She said she does not know. All she knows is that they are related.

Alalatoa put it to the witness that she is related to the Minister on her father’s side. She said yes.

She also suggested to her that their relationship started in 2006 when she was a student at Tuasivi.

Ms. Stowers said no.

“You were 18 at the time when you were adopted. At that time you started to have feelings and you wanted to get into a relationship, isn’t that true?

“You used to call him dad and while you did that, you got turned on and had intercourse with him?”

Ms. Stowers said if it wasn’t for the “things” Ulia-Faiga did to her, she wouldn’t have done such a thing. She did not explain what these “things” were.

But Alalatoa told the Court that the only person who did dirty things was the witness and the church Minister. She said that there were times when Ms. Stowers slept in the middle of the Minister and his wife.

Ms. Stowers said yes.

“All your claims made to S.V.S.G were lies. You used the S.V.S.G to get what you wanted and have given them a bad name when they intend to do good things to help people.

“This was all you and the church Minister’s plan.”

Again Ms. Stowers denied the allegation.

The hearing continues.