‘Completely baseless’: Man accused over death of Sydney gangster in Vietnam vows to fight charges

A man accused of conspiring in the execution of a Sydney gang chief in Vietnam says he will fight the charges after defeating allegations he lied to police about knowing the hitmen and trying to bribe his way out of Samoa.

New Zealand national James Atua, 31, was charged alongside Fred Oliva Junior Papalii, 33, in Samoa last week.

Both were charged with conspiracy to murder Lorenzo Lemalu, leader of the Coconut Cartel who was living in Ho Chi Minh city until he was shot in May.

His execution was captured on camera and shared on social media at the height of the latest gang war between his foot soldiers – the Alameddine and Badger crime networks.

Two Samoan men, Joseph Vaa and Steve Tafia, were arrested days later in Vietnam and allegedly admitted to tracking and killing the Coconut Cartel gangsters.

Police followed Vaa and Tafia back to Samoa, where they had worked at a car rental company owned by Atua’s mother.

Atua spoke with police in late May but allegedly lied about his relationship to the hitmen.

The Herald can reveal Atua then allegedly went to the airport and tried to bribe an immigration official with 500 Samoan tala ($255) to get back to New Zealand.

He was charged with corruption and misleading police and spent weeks in prison.

Australian Federal Police and authorities in both Vietnam and Samoa executed search warrants and concluded that Atua and Papalii had conspired with the alleged hitmen to carry out the shooting.

The international investigation moved to charge Atua and Papalii with conspiracy to murder on September 10.

Atua decided to bring in outside help and flew Sydney solicitor Abbas Soukie in to represent him in the Samoan court.

“The allegations against Atua are completely baseless,” Soukie told the Herald .

“He categorically rejects them and will vehemently defend them in due course.”