Former Wallabies winger Tuala Digby Ioane has been remanded in custody after facing court in Brisbane, Australia, over allegations he repeatedly threatened to kill a man over a supposed land deal in Samoa.
According to Australian news reports, Tuala allegedly became “obsessed” with the man and threatened to kill him between April 22 and April 26. The 40-year-old, who is Samoan and has ties to Leauva’a, told the Brisbane Magistrates Court the case related to a “massive deal” involving the Prime Minister and the Israeli army.
Tuala represented himself on Wednesday afternoon when he applied for bail before Magistrate Anne Thacker.
“[The man] has agreed with the Prime Minister of Samoa to agree on a $100 million [deal] with Israel to bring over their army,” Tuala told the court. “For me, my Mum is the rightful queen of Samoa, I’m just protecting her land.”
In a 2023 interview with the Samoa Observer, Tuala said he was moving back to Samoa after receiving the Tuala title.
