Hans Joachim Keil, who is currently out on bail in Missouri, could face up to 15 years jail if convicted.
He faces two charges, one count of falsely and willfully representing himself to be a U.S. citizen and one count of attempting to use a U.S. passport.
The Samoan government is working with the U.S. on an agreement that would allow Keil to return to Samoa before his trial, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi told the Samoan Observer
The agreement would mean that if Keil returns home, he will have to fly back to the U.S. to stand trial.
Tuilaepa told the Sunday Samoan this was being done through “discussions and correspondence (with U.S. officials).”
The request by the government has been communicated to the U.S. State Department, and passed onto the U.S court, Tuilaepa said.
He said there is no reason to suspect Keil would not return to the U.S to stand trial. “Perhaps in time there will be a reply,” he said. “That is where matters are now.”
The prime minister noted the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judiciary. This, he said, is very “strong” in the United States.
Communication between the two governments regarding the associate minister has been at the executive level, he said.
“The difficulty is that the matter is now in the jurisdiction of the judiciary,” where due process prevails, he said.
Tuilaepa compared the situation to the Samoan police officer charged in Solomon Islands for an offense, who has been allowed to return to Samoa — but who will return to the Solomon Islands when the time comes for his trial.
He said to remember when an American citizen is charged in Samoa, the laws of Samoa will be followed.
“That is the usual situation,” he said. “We understand situations like that. The difficulty with Joe’s case is that Joe didn’t travel as a Samoan citizen, he didn’t travel on his Samoan passport.
“He entered America as an American citizen, on his American passport. That’s the complication that has further complicated the matter.”
Several overseas media reports have said the arrest of Keil has put a strain on the relationship between Samoa and the United States. “I have no comment about that,” the prime minister said
He said the relationship is still good.
