By Tia Belau News Staff

A petition seeking to recall Ngardmau State Legislature Speaker Terence Miozawa and Floor Leader Neil Fisher was submitted to the Palau Election Commission (PEC) on October 19, 2026, following the legislature’s passage of a second resolution to impeach Governor Jennifer Ngiraiwet.

The petition, signed by 54 voters, was submitted the same day Ngiraiwet filed a second complaint seeking to invalidate the latest impeachment resolution.

The petition states: “This petition is based on their leadership in adopting Resolution No. KN 11-19-2026, urging the Governor to terminate the proposed contract with S4 Co. without a public hearing, without due regard for the Joint Venture Agreement previously executed between the Ngardmau State Government and S4 Construction Co., and without respect for the Governor and Chief Beouch, who executed the Joint Venture Agreement. The undersigned believe such actions were taken without adequate public consultation and were contrary to the expressed support for the project.”

PEC is presently reviewing the petition and will announce the date of the special recall election.

The recall petition challenges Miozawa’s and Fisher’s leadership in adopting Resolution No. KN 11-19-2026, which urged the governor to terminate a proposed contract with S4 Construction Co.

The petitioners say the resolution was adopted without a public hearing or adequate consideration of a joint venture agreement (JVA) previously signed by the Ngardmau State Government and the company. They also contend that the action showed a lack of respect for Ngiraiwet and Chief Beouch, who signed the agreement.

Meanwhile, the impeachment election is scheduled for November 13, 2026. Ngiraiwet has asked the court to issue an order stopping that election while her second complaint is considered.

Justice Peter Huffman, who presided over the first case before his ruling was overturned on appeal, is handling the second complaint. A hearing on the governor’s motion is scheduled for today, October 26, 2026.

The proposed port project includes sand dredging, port development and other work, some of which began several months ago. The port project has reportedly earned opposition by those not involved in the project.

Sources within and outside the state have confirmed that some powerful politicians and retired officials who were connected with the previous port project that failed are fueling the opposition and may have some strong outside sponsors.  

James Kennedy

By Elilai Rengiil

In a ruling filed on October 20, the Trial Division granted part of the ROP’s request to decide the case without trial and denied Kennedy’s competing request.

The ROP sued in June 2025 to collect fines that totaled $13,000 as of April 2, 2025, and seek orders stopping Kennedy’s practice and requiring compliance. The regulations require lawyers conducting specified transactions to establish internal policies to help prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

Kennedy failed to submit compliance policies, seek an exemption, or request an extension by December 1, 2023, the court said.

The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) imposed a $1,000 fine in January 2024, followed by monthly $1,000 fines beginning May 1, 2024.

Kennedy challenged the FIU’s enforcement authority, the regulations’ constitutionality, and the adequacy of notice about continuing fines.

The court rejected those arguments, finding that the Olbiil Era Kelulau lawfully delegated enforcement powers to the FIU and that its director’s appointment was constitutional.

Although a sanctions letter named another recipient, the court found Kennedy received adequate notice through his court mailbox and repeated warnings. It also rejected his claim that personal animosity drove the lawsuit, finding insufficient evidence.

However, the court declined to stop Kennedy’s law practice under the statute cited because the government had not shown his business license was first revoked, a required step.

The court did not decide the ROP’s separate request for an injunction on equitable grounds, which was not presented for consideration at this stage. A status conference is scheduled for November 6, 2026, at 1 p.m. in Courtroom 104 in Koror.

Koror State 43^rd Constitution Day. (Photo source: Office of the President, ROP)

By Tia Belau News Staff

Representing President Surangel Whipps Jr., Minister Charles Obichang thanked the framers of the Koror State Constitution, saying their wisdom continues to guide the state.

Obichang also conveyed the president’s appreciation to Governor Eyos Rudimch, the Koror State Legislature, traditional leaders (Rubekul and Mechesil Oreor), women’s groups, and state officials for their partnership with the national government.

He acknowledged that cooperation with helping Palau host the recent Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and Pacific Islands Tax Administrators Association (PITAA) conferences, while advancing infrastructure and community development projects across Koror.

Obichang reaffirmed the president’s commitment to working with Koror State to support sustainable growth and opportunities for future generations.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a five-year strategy covering Palau and 11 other Pacific island countries, focusing on economic opportunities, essential services, and infrastructure better able to withstand climate-related disasters.

Announced October 21, the Pacific Approach 2026–2030, will guide the bank’s work with the countries through regional priorities translated into country-specific programs.

ADB said the strategy responds to challenges facing small, dispersed island economies, including exposure to climate-related disasters, high service delivery costs, and limited institutional capacity.

“Pacific countries face development challenges that cannot be addressed through a one-size-fits-all approach,” said Emma Veve, ADB director general for the Pacific.

“ADB will continue to adapt business practices and delivery arrangements to the operating context of smaller, dispersed Pacific economies and concentrate resources where we can provide sustained value.”

The strategy sets out three priorities: expanding economic opportunities, supporting communities and delivering sustainable infrastructure.

Economic measures will focus on improving public resource management, strengthening trade and financial links, and creating conditions for private investment and jobs.

Community support will include better access to health care, education and other essential services, alongside social protection and skills development.

The bank said these efforts would help vulnerable households withstand and recover from economic and other shocks.

Infrastructure investment will support clean energy, transport, water supply, solid waste management, and urban roads. ADB said projects would emphasize local participation, climate resilience, sound governance, and value for money over the life of each asset.

The bank also plans to strengthen project preparation, build local institutional capacity and ensure that operations and maintenance costs are adequately provided for.

Longer-term programs will combine financing with policy reform, institutional support, and workforce development.

ADB said its active portfolio in the 12 countries reached $1.9 billion across 80 projects at the end of 2025, compared with $454 million across 35 projects a decade earlier.

Alongside Palau, the strategy covers the Cook Islands, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Naoero, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

(Young Pacific Leaders) Delia is a proud mother of three, a loving wife, and an administrative and finance professional from Palau, currently serving as office manager at the Palau Small Business Development Center.

Strengthening financial integrity: With experience managing financial records, budgeting, and reporting across multiple government agencies — including the Palau Judiciary, Belau National Hospital, and the Bureau of Aging and Disability — Delia brings strong financial management skills that support sound, transparent institutions less vulnerable to exploitation by illicit financial networks.

Countering transnational crime: By supporting small businesses through the Palau SBDC, Delia helps build a resilient, transparent local economy — reinforcing the financial systems and oversight that make it harder for transnational criminal networks to exploit gaps in economic governance.

Investing in her own growth: A May 2026 graduate with a bachelor of arts in economics from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Delia continues building her expertise in finance and economics, strengthening her ability to serve Palau’s institutions and communities.

Family-driven leadership: Balancing her roles as a dedicated mother, wife, and professional, Delia brings patience, organization, and determination to her work — qualities that reflect the strength and resilience needed to build a more secure Palau and Pacific region.

(Young Pacific Leaders) Arantxa is a national program implementation manager in Palau’s Ministry of Finance, one year and three months into strengthening the systems and institutions that keep her nation resilient and secure.

Building resilient systems: With a background in public, non-profit, and business administration, Arantxa manages the UNEP CIS-Pac 5 program, enhancing information and knowledge services across five Pacific Island nations — work that spans meteorology, disaster preparedness, and resilience, strengthening the institutional foundations that protect Palau from a range of transnational threats.

Countering transnational crime through preparedness: Strong information systems and disaster preparedness aren’t just about weather — they’re about national resilience. By strengthening early warning systems, coordination with regional partners, and institutional capacity, Arantxa helps close the vulnerabilities that instability and poor governance can create, vulnerabilities that transnational criminal networks are often quick to exploit.

A foundation built for impact: Arantxa’s work touches project management, procurement, financial management, and coordination with national and regional partners — the behind-the-scenes systems that keep Palau’s institutions accountable, transparent, and secure. It’s a reminder that strengthening governance and financial oversight is itself a frontline defense against exploitation and illicit activity.

Jeremy Guillermin

By Elilai Rengiil

Palauan Jeremy Guillermin was remanded to jail Thursday, October 22, after a CNMI Superior Court jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Alvin Remamba.

It also convicted him of obstructing justice, a charge stemming from his attempt to escape police custody. Guillermin’s sentencing is scheduled for January 13, 2027.

In earlier reporting by Marianas Press, Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds said the defense asked the judge to acquit Guillermin and set aside the verdict, arguing that the evidence was insufficient and that punching is not an illegal act. The judge denied the motion.

Prosecutors then asked that Guillermin be taken into custody. The defense requested that he remain on bail until sentencing, but the judge denied that request and remanded him.

Involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Assault and battery is punishable by up to one year, and obstructing justice by up to six months.

The judge will decide whether the sentences run at the same time or one after another.

The case arose from a November 16, 2025, confrontation outside Relox Bar in western Garapan.

According to court records, Guillermin punched Remamba in the face, causing him to fall backward and strike his head on the pavement. Remamba suffered severe brain bleeding and swelling and died four days later.

Guillermin was on Saipan for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) training when the incident occurred. An earlier report, citing court documents, said police found him at the trainees’ apartment after he fled a patrol car while handcuffed.

US Coast Guard Commandant Kevin Lunday and Palau Minister of Justice Jennifer Olegeriil. (Photo source: Office of the Prime Minister, Cook Islands)

By Elilai Rengiil

The United States (US) has announced $7 million to build a regional maritime law enforcement training and coordination center in Palau, part of more than $44 million in new programs to combat drug trafficking and other cross-border crime across the Pacific.

The announcement came during the inaugural US-Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers, held from October 21 to 22 in Los Angeles.

Minister of Justice Jennifer Olegeriil co-chaired the meeting with US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday.

The training and coordination center, Aumoana Regional Center, will serve as headquarters for the Aumoana Regional Law Enforcement Initiative. It will train Pacific officers in vessel boarding, evidence handling, and monitoring activities at sea.

The center will also house US and regional liaison officers who will provide intelligence support across Pacific Island countries and US territories.

Additionally, Palau and the US signed a Letter of Agreement at the conference to strengthen law enforcement training and capabilities in Palau. Regional programs under the agreement may also benefit the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.

In another initiative, two US Customs and Border Protection officers will work alongside Palau’s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection during a 60-day advisory pilot program.

That deployment is part of a broader effort providing more than $1.3 million to train investigators in Palau, Fiji, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Training will cover drug investigations, financial investigations, and planning maritime operations.

The US Coast Guard will also expand Shiprider operations, under which Pacific officers board Coast Guard vessels and enforce their own countries’ laws within their national waters.

Conference participants committed to improving maritime surveillance, port and border security, and cooperation against drug trafficking, money laundering and scam operations.

The meeting brought together Pacific police ministers and senior officials, representatives from Australia, New Zealand, France, regional organizations, US agencies, and other international partners.

Jennifer Ngiraiwet

By Tia Belau News Staff

The complaint follows an October 13 ruling by Associate Justice Peter Huffman that her original lawsuit covered only the first removal attempt. He declined to consider her emergency challenge to the second resolution, saying it required a separate complaint.

The new lawsuit names the Eleventh Kelulul Ngardmau, represented by Speaker Terrence Miozawa, and the Palau Election Commission (PEC) as defendants. It challenges Resolution No. 11-27-2026, adopted on September 16.

Ngiraiwet alleges lawmakers failed to provide an advance copy of the resolution or enough notice and time to consult her lawyer, prepare a response and address the proposed removal.

Lawmakers passed the resolution hours after the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division ruled that constitutional fair-treatment protections apply to legislative investigations leading to impeachment or removal. Those protections include adequate notice and an opportunity to attend the session considering removal.

In rejecting the emergency request, Huffman explained that a motion or sworn statement could not, by itself, add new claims to an existing lawsuit.

Huffman did not rule on the second resolution’s validity and said a separate case would receive expedited consideration.

Represented by attorney Johnson Toribiong, Ngiraiwet asks the court to declare the second resolution unconstitutional and bar officials from using it to remove her, declare the office vacant, or hold the special election.

She also seeks temporary relief while the case is considered.

Ngaraard State Governor Sharp Sakuma and Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) Project Coordinator Carlisa Ngedebuu in front of the tabletop gardens in Ngaraard.

By Elilai Rengiil

Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) is working with the Ngaraard State Government to improve diets and strengthen health monitoring through community cookouts, vegetable growing, and a yearlong screening program.

The project, supported by Japan’s grant aid for Japanese NGOs, aims to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and strengthen community-based follow-up. It began in March 2026 and runs through February 2027.

“With support from the state government staff, habit changes in the 21 participants will be observed and monitored until the end of the project,” Ngedebuu said.

“Unlike other health screening projects in Palau, this initiative follows the same participants throughout the year to track changes,” she added.

Vegetables from the PWJ-funded and state government supported greenhouse are used in community cooking and distributed to the screening participants. The vegetables harvested have also been distributed to over 25 homebound patients.

Ngaraard State Government employee Thomas Omisong, who maintains the greenhouse and tends its vegetables, said the project gives community members a healthy activity while teaching them to propagate seeds, transplant seedlings and grow vegetables. A sign in the greenhouse reads, “From Seeds to Plate”.

Two community cookouts have taken place in the past year and introduced healthier recipes while teaching residents how to propagate seeds and plant vegetables. The next cookout is planned for November 13, 3 p.m., at the Ngaraard State Office.

Ngaraard State Governor Sharp Sakuma said the project differs from earlier tabletop gardening initiatives in the state because it includes follow-up, monitoring, and cooking demonstrations.

“Constant follow up is so important,” Sakuma said. He said the greenhouse’s roadside location was chosen to raise community awareness of the project. Sakuma thanked PWJ for its “endless support.”

No residential tabletop gardens have been installed yet. The state supports providing them to the screening participants and selected homebound patients, with approximately 25 to 30 planned.

The state is also considering providing land for community groups, or cheldebechel, from Ngaraard’s five hamlets. Sakuma proposed that each group could grow two different vegetables, potentially providing 10 varieties for the community.

Ngaraard is one of three pilot states, alongside Ngchesar and Ngeremlengui participating in the project. The project builds on PWJ’s 2022–25 annual health screening initiative. Collected data will be shared with the state government and the Ministry of Health and Human Services (MHHS) after the project ends.

The Embassy of Japan in Palau facilitated the site visit as part of its ODA press tour on October 21, 2026.