The Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK), Palau’s Congress has passed a legislation that would allow for the appointment of an interim Special Prosecutor in the event that the Senate fails to come to an agreement on confirmation of an SP appointment.
The legislation introduced by the House of Delegates reportedly allows for the appointment of an interim SP who will serve a two-year term, and will only serve in a short-term basis until a permanent SP is appointment, the two-year term comes to an end or the Attorney General removes the SP.
The legislation will place the interim SP under the supervision of the Attorney General. In the past, the Special Prosecutor’s office worked independently without the supervision of any specific body of the national government including the President’s office.
OTV was unable to obtain a copy of this legislation as of this news report.
According to a staff from the House of Delegates, upon transmitting the legislation to the President’s office for his decision, OTV will then be provided with a copy.
The Special Prosecutor normally looks into government corruption, however at this time, it’s not clear if having a SP under the supervision of the Attorney General presents any conflict of interests.
Palau has been without a Special Prosecutor since former SP Michael Copeland resigned in early 2010.
In this new administration, the President submitted one nominee to the position, Dan Dorfman, who was rejected by the Senate.