By Kevin Akor
WASHINGTON (chatnewstv.com) — The United States on Tuesday publicly designated Palau’s Senate President, Hokkons Baules, and a former mayor in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Anderson Jibas, for what it described as significant corruption, barring them and their immediate family members from entry into the country.
In a statement, the State Department said Baules abused his public office by accepting bribes from China-based actors in exchange for political advocacy and support for government, business and criminal interests linked to China.
“Baules abused his public position by accepting bribes in exchange for providing advocacy and support for government, business, and criminal interests from China,” the department said, adding that his actions “adversely affected U.S. interests in Palau.”
The department also designated Jibas, the former mayor of the Kili/Bikini/Ejit community in the Marshall Islands, accusing him of orchestrating and profiting from schemes that misappropriated U.S.-provided funds meant for nuclear test survivors and their descendants.
According to the statement, Jibas was involved in “theft, misuse, and abuse of funds from the U.S.-provided Bikini Resettlement Trust,” resulting in most of the money being stolen from communities displaced by U.S. nuclear bomb testing in the 1940s and 1950s.
“The theft, misuse, and abuse of the U.S.-provided money for the fund wasted U.S. taxpayer money,” the State Department said, noting that the alleged corruption contributed to job losses, food insecurity, migration to the United States and unreliable electricity for affected communities.
The department warned that the lack of accountability in the Marshall Islands had weakened public trust and created openings for “malign foreign influence from China and others.”
“The United States will continue to promote accountability for those who abuse public power for personal gain and steal from our citizens to enrich themselves,” the statement said. “These designations reaffirm the United States’ commitment to countering global corruption affecting U.S. interests.”
The actions were announced by Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas “Tommy” Pigott and were taken under Section 7031(c) of U.S. law, which requires the secretary of state to publicly or privately designate foreign officials and their immediate family members when there is credible information of significant corruption or gross human rights abuses.
Neither Baules nor Jibas immediately responded to requests for comment.
