No charges have been filed yet against a Samoan woman who stowed away on the Fiji Airways in an effort to get to Australia, as investigations are continuing, said Police Commissioner Auapa’au Logoitino Filipo.
Last month the Ministry of Police and Prisons kicked off its investigation into how a Samoan woman managed to pass through immigration and airport security got on the Fiji airways aircraft, hid in the lavatory, and made her way to Fiji.
This happened on 26 December 2022.
The woman was caught sleeping in the lavatory by flight attendants when the plane arrived in Fiji.
She was trying to board a flight to Australia without any legal documents claiming she was an Australian citizen, said Police Commissioner Auapa’au Logoitino Filipo, in response to questions from Radio Polynesia.
Fijian Authorities reached out to Australian Immigration to determine if she was an Australian citizen, but it was confirmed she was not a citizen of Australia.
The woman was returned and the matter is being investigated by local authorities, said Police Commissioner.
He said that several international laws were violated by the actions of this woman and that criminal charges are highly likely, but that will be determined once the investigation is complete.
The woman has been banned by Fiji Airways worldwide as a result.
