US Sanctions Palau Senate President, Marshall Islands Ex-Mayor Over ‘Significant Corruption’
State Department says officials abused public office, misused funds, and undermined US interests; family members also face travel ban.
US, Feb 11 : The United States has designated two senior public figures from the Pacific region for “significant corruption,” rendering them and their immediate family members ineligible for entry into the country.
In a statement released Tuesday, the US State Department named Palau Senate President Hokkons Baules and Anderson Jibas, former mayor of the Kili/Bikini/Ejit community in the Marshall Islands, citing credible evidence of corruption tied to their time in public office.
Baules was accused of exploiting his position by accepting bribes to advocate for interests associated with China-based actors. Officials said the alleged conduct harmed American interests in Palau and represented a serious breach of public trust.
Jibas, meanwhile, was designated for orchestrating schemes that involved the theft and misuse of funds from the US-backed Bikini Resettlement Trust. Authorities noted that the diversion of resources deprived the Kili/Bikini/Ejit community descendants of nuclear testing survivors of critical support, contributing to job losses, food insecurity, migration pressures, and unreliable electricity access.
The State Department emphasised that US law allows the public identification of foreign nationals implicated in major corruption or human rights violations when supported by credible information. The move underscores Washington’s broader push to enforce accountability and deter the abuse of public authority.
The action also comes at a time of growing geopolitical competition in the Pacific, where both Palau and the Marshall Islands maintain Compacts of Free Association with the United States, granting strategic military access in return for economic assistance.
Reaffirming the administration’s stance, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the US would not tolerate foreign officials enriching themselves at the expense of taxpayers or threatening national interests.
