Точка Синхронізації

The U.S. Department of State issued official designations against Palau’s Senate President Hokkons Baules and Anderson Jibas, the former mayor of the Marshall Islands’ Kili/Bikini/Ejit community, on February 10, 2026, over their involvement in significant corruption and the misappropriation of American funds. Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas "Tommy" Pigott announced that the sanctions, which render both officials and their immediate family members ineligible for entry into the United States, were triggered by the discovery of illicit activities that undermined U.S. interests and regional stability in the Pacific. The move signals a robust effort by Washington to hold foreign officials accountable for financial crimes and foreign influence peddling. Senate President Baules is accused of abusing his high-ranking public office to accept bribes from China-based actors. According to the State Department, Baules provided advocacy and legislative support for various Chinese government, business, and criminal interests in exchange for financial gain. This influence-peddling scheme was deemed a direct threat to the democratic processes in Palau and local U.S. strategic interests. The designation highlights increasing U.S. scrutiny over Chinese efforts to exert political leverage via corruption in the strategic Micronesian region. In the Marshall Islands, former Mayor Anderson Jibas was found to have orchestrated multiple misappropriation schemes targeting the Bikini Resettlement Trust. This fund, provided by the United States, was established to support survivors and descendants of those affected by nuclear testing in the 1940s and 1950s. The investigation revealed that the majority of these funds were stolen or misused for Jibas’s personal financial benefit, leading to severe socio-economic consequences for the community. The theft of these U.S. taxpayer dollars contributed to food insecurity, mass migration to the United States, and the collapse of essential services like electricity. The State Department emphasized that Jibas’s actions not only wasted U.S. aid but also eroded trust in public institutions. By exploiting the vulnerable Kili/Bikini/Ejit population, the former mayor exacerbated the historical trauma of nuclear displacement. These designations serve as part of a broader U.S. policy to combat corruption in the Indo-Pacific, ensuring that development funds reach their intended recipients rather than being diverted by opportunistic government officials.