Justice Minister Johnny Gibbons in an interview said Dugan who is awaiting deportation after pleading guilty to charges in connection to money laundering attempts is now in isolation after telling people that he will kill the president.
Dugan, along with other prisoners were on a medical check-up at the Belau National Hospital, Wednesday when he made the threats overheard by other patients in the hospital.
Gibbons said that since only one jail officer escorted the fiveprisoners including Dugan, the inmates were left unattended during the check-up.
Witnesses then informed Toribiong’s aide that Dugan was overheard saying, “I hate the president, I hate Sen. Mlib Tmetuchl. The president is dead.”
Gibbons then immediately ordered Dugan to be placed under solitary confinement for 72 hours beginning on Wednesday afternoon.
“The president upon being informed of the incident was angry that someone who is in a foreign country can threaten the president of Palau,” Gibbons said.
Gibbons said that additional charges are being readied against Dugan.
He however is not aware whether there is a specific criminal charge against threatening the leader of the country.
He said that the matter is being taken seriously citing that the first president of Palau Haruo Remeliik was assassinated.
Dugan was earlier charged with 39 counts of attempted grand larceny, forgery, attempted cheating, cheating, unlawful issuance of bank checks or drafts and money laundering.
In an earlier plea agreement,Dugan was ordereddeported and fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to three counts of forgery charges and three counts of attempted cheating. The other charges were dismissed.
Dugan was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment all suspended except for up to six months in jail. Part of the plea agreement was that Dugan will be testifying “fully and truthfully in Criminal Case 09-193.”
Criminal Case 09-193 is the money laundering case against Senate President Mlib Tmetuchl and President Johnson Toribiong’s brother Lucius Malsol.
Dugan will be deported by April 21; he has received credit for jail time served.
