Peseta Vaifou Tevaga | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Samoa Parliament for Faasaleleaga No. 5 | |
| In office 4 March 2011 –29 August 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Vui Tupe Ioane |
| Succeeded by | Vui Iiga Sione Iiga |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Human Rights Protection Party |
Peseta Vaifou Tevaga (also known as Peseta Vaifou Tevagaena) is a Samoan politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa. He is a member of the Human Rights Protection Party.
Tevaga is a former policeman [1] and runs a construction business. [2] He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Samoa at the 2011 Samoan general election and appointed Associate Minister of Finance. In late 2011 he allegedly hit a disabled man while driving a government vehicle. He was subsequently charged with negligent driving causing injury, [3] but this was subsequently upgraded to dangerous driving causing death after the victim died. [4] The charge was dropped in August 2013 after key witnesses were unable to attend the hearing. [5] [6] In the interim he was sacked as Associate Finance Minister over concerns around conflicts of interest when tendering for government projects. [7] In August 2014 he was arrested and charged with drunk-driving after an accident involving a government vehicle. [1] In May 2015 he was convicted of dangerous driving over the incident and fined $100. [8]
Tevaga was re-elected in the 2016 election [9] and appointed Associate Minister for Prime Minister &Cabinet. [10] In October 2015,shortly before the election,he began a long-running legal dispute with fellow MP Laauli Leuatea Polataivao over a business they were partners in. [11] An investigation of his complaints by police resulted in Tevaga being charged with forgery and falsifying documents [12] over a share-transfer form. [13] The charges were dismissed in October 2016. [14] In 2017 he commenced legal proceedings against Polataivao,accusing him of dishonesty in managing the company. [15] [16] The civil claim was dismissed in November 2017. [17] Polataivao subsequently resigned from Cabinet after being charged with more than a hundred counts of forgery and theft; [18] he was acquitted of all charges in June 2020. [19]
In 2018 a company part-owned by Tevaga was awarded a $1.3 million contract to build an airport on Upolu. [20] [21] He denied any conflict of interest. [22]
Tevaga was re-elected in the 2021 election. [23]