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

Chief Justice of Samoa The Chief Justice of Samoa ( sm, Faamasino Sili o le Faamasinoga Sili o 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 Judicatur ...

since 12 June 2020. Perese was born in Magiagi,

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

and educated at Magiagi Primary School. His family moved to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

when he was a child. He studied business at

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

and then became a newsreader for

Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa), commonly known as Radio NZ or simply RNZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and c ...

. In 1986 he began studying law at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

, 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, and studied at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

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

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

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

. 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. From 2003 to 2009 he was a member of the New Zealand

Human Rights Review Tribunal The Human Rights Review Tribunal is a statutorily established institution fundamental to the application, determination and up holding of human rights in New Zealand. The tribunal is established under the New Zealand Human Rights Act 1993. The Hum ...

. He has also worked as a New Zealand Crown prosecutor. As a lawyer, he represented New Zealand MP Taito Phillip Field 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 Patu Tiava'asu'e Falefatu Sapolu (22 July 1950 — 28 November 2021) was a Samoan lawyer and judge. He served as Attorney-General of Samoa from 1988 to 1991, and as Chief Justice of Samoa from 1992 to 2019. Early life and education Sapolu is fro ...

. 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