Satiu Simativa Perese (born 1962) is a Samoan judge. He has served as the

Chief Justice of Samoa The chief justice of Samoa () is the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Samoa. The qualifications and powers of the office are governed by Part VI of the Constitution of Samoa and the Judicature Ordinance 1961. The position is currently held ...

since 12 June 2020. Perese was born in Magiagi,

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

and educated at Magiagi Primary School. His family moved to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

when he was a child. He studied business at

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

and then became a newsreader for

Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classi ...

. In 1986 he began studying law at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

, from which he graduated in 1989, and he was admitted to the bar in 1990. He subsequently worked for the New Zealand Crown Law Office. In 1995 he became the first Samoan to win a

Harkness Fellowship The Harkness Fellowship (previously known as the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship) is a program run by the Commonwealth Fund of New York City. This fellowship was established to reciprocate the Rhodes Scholarships and enable Fellows from several co ...

, and studied at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Perese was admitted to the bar in Samoa in 1999, and has also worked in the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

. From 2000 to 2002 he was President of the Pacific Lawyers Society, and in 2002 he was appointed as inaugural chair of the National Pacific Radio Trust, which operates the

Pacific Media Network The Pacific Media Network is a New Zealand radio network and pan-Pasifika national broadcasting network, currently owned and operated by the National Pacific Radio Trust and partly funded by the Government. It includes the PMN 531 radio network, ...

. From 2003 to 2009 he was a member of the New Zealand Human Rights Review Tribunal. He has also worked as a New Zealand

Crown prosecutor Crown prosecutor is the title given in a number of jurisdictions to the state prosecutor, the legal party responsible for presenting the case against an individual in a criminal trial. The title is commonly used in Commonwealth realms. Examples * ...

. As a lawyer, he represented New Zealand MP

Taito Phillip Field Taito Phillip Hans Field (26 September 1952 – 23 September 2021) was a Samoan-born New Zealand trade unionist and politician. A Member of Parliament (MP) for South Auckland electorates from 1993 to 2008, Field was the first New Zealand MP o ...

during his trial for corruption. In 2016, he was hired by Samoa's Attorney-General to prosecute the then-Director of the National Prosecutions Office, Mauga Precious Chang. In March 2020, Perese was appointed Chief Justice of Samoa, replacing Patu Tiava'asu'e Falefatu Sapolu. He was sworn in on 12 June 2020. In October 2020 he was evacuated to

for medical treatment. In May 2021 he delivered the judgement in the case of the FAST Party against the Electoral Commission, overturning the revocation of the 2021 election. On 7 July, the HRPP lodged a complaint against him with the Judicial Services Commission, alleging he was incompetent.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perese, Satiu Simativa 1962 births Living people Chief justices of Samoa Columbia University alumni 20th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand public servants Samoan judges Victoria University of Wellington alumni