ON Dec. 1, 2025, I signed my written oath of office and began my six-year term as the Federated State of Micronesia’s first Independent Prosecutor. I am humbled by the trust placed in me by the people, and I am excited to have begun the monumental task of building a culture of fiscal transparency and accountability in the FSM.
As I have begun my work, it has come to my attention that a question is circulating on the coconut wireless: “Where is the independent prosecutor?” A fair question. The answer: I am forced to work remotely from my home in Kansas until the FSM executive branch releases the funds appropriated by the FSM Congress to fund the Office of the Independent Prosecutor or OIP.
I am hopeful the executive branch will comply with the new constitutional obligations placed on it (and the other branches) by the wise drafters of the OIP amendment, which the citizens of the FSM wholeheartedly approved:
“(f) The Office of the Independent Prosecutor shall be independent of administrative control. The Office shall be adequately funded by Congress. No statute, regulation, or directive shall be enacted or enforced which has the effect of reducing or eliminating the independence, power, or capability of that Office. The compensation of the Independent Prosecutor and staff shall not be reduced during the term in office. The Independent Prosecutor shall report at least once a year to the President and Congress.”
Rest assured that I plan to guard the independence of the OIP zealously: to do otherwise would be to acquiesce to “government as usual,” which the people by their votes clearly wish to change. And change is most definitely coming.
But I will need the public’s help to guide and inform this change. Once the executive branch complies with the law and releases the OIP’s funds, I plan to undertake what I call a “Three Questions Listening Tour” in each of the four states. In each state I plan to meet with all manner of citizens who have entrusted me with this mandate to bring change: traditional leaders, youth, women, clergy, business owners, community leaders, state and local political leaders. I will pose three simple questions and listen carefully to their replies:
1) What do you think is the purpose of the Office of the Independent Prosecutor?
2) Where do you think corruption happens in the FSM?
3) What would you like to see happen if/when corruption is uncovered in the FSM?
The answers to these questions will help me know how and where to focus my initial efforts as the OIP takes shape. I hope that as people gather with family, friends, and colleagues during the Christmas season, they might reflect upon and discuss these three questions because I will be eager to hear their answers. I look forward to meeting the people of the FSM in their home states early in 2026. Let the change begin.
LUCAS M. CUPPS
FSM Independent Prosecutor
