Copeland indicated in a letter dated February 23 to Senate President Mlib Tmetuchl that “some of the Senators may have gotten careless with regards to their obligations under the Code of Ethics, and other Senators may not even be fully aware of what their obligations under the Code are.”
Copeland added; “Rather than prosecuting the above mentioned violation, I would prefer to meet with you to discuss ways in which we can work together to help prevent these violations from occurring again in the future.”Copeland wrote a letter to Senate President Tmetuchl to address the issue brought by Senate Bill 8-19 that prohibits the issuance of a broadcasting radio or television license to any foreign government; non-citizen or corporation in which any officer or director is a non-citizen.One of the authors of this Bill is Senator Alfonso Diaz.Diaz voted for the Bill’s adoption.Copeland in his reply to Palau Horizon’s inquiry yesterday, said that under Palauan law, it is illegal for a Senator to introduce, vote on or argue on the Senate floor for a bill that would financial benefit him or her.Copeland said, “My letter didn’t express an opinion on the merits of that particular bill because that is a policy question beyond the scope of my responsibilities. Instead, my letter addressed the fact that under Palauan law it is illegal for a Senator to introduce, vote on, or argue on the Senate floor for a bill that would financial benefit him or her.”“The main point of my letter was to offer to help the Senate develop policies that would ensure compliance with the Code of Ethics in the future. My goal, and what I am asking for, is for them to work with me to find reasonable ways to make sure these sorts of violations don’t happen again. I’m hopeful the Senate will be willing to consider working to prevent future violations of the Code of Ethics, rather than simply sitting back and waiting for me to prosecute violations after they have occurred,” Copeland went on stating in his email yesterday.Copeland’s letter to Senator Tmetuchl indicated that 33 PNCA §604 (a) prohibits a Senator from using his or her government position to attempt to influence any official action where is it reasonably foreseeable that the action could have a material financial effect on that Senator.Violation of this law is a misdemeanor and would mean a fine of up to $10,000 for each violation.Copeland stated in his letter that a violation of this act may serve as a predicate offense for the crime of Misconduct in Public Office and would subject a Senator to the risk of imprisonment for a period of not more than ten years or a fine of not more than $10,000 or both.
