$1000 is a lot of money in Samoa

Reports El Jefe El Ladrón Field gave the thai tiler $1,000 during a chance encounter are prima facie corruption allegations. $1,000 either as WS Tala or NZ$ is a lot of money for anyone in Samoa. If El Ladrón gave the money - and by his own admission he did - this is a serious issue. It cannot be pushed to one side as simply Field helping a person, he came across, with a small personal loan. Field may be many things but he hasn't suddenly lost his high capacity for self-interest.

I have visited Samoa a lot over 25 years and I know that $1,000 is a King's ransom for many Samoans.

This looks worse for El Ladrón when you consider the thai tiler is an immigrant/worker sponsored by the Fields, under notice from the Samoan Government to shoot through by the end of the month, unable to return to New Zealand because Helen Clark has used her normal tactic of putting the word out to Government Agencies and Ministry's via a contrived media conference, and so on.

Labour and Field have stuffed the thai tiler.