In a press statement, the president said the decision to withdraw the appointment was made after an extensive consultation with Bells over the last days and due to her request.
“I have decided to withdraw her appointment…in order to allow her to attend to her emergency family obligations which will require her absence from Palau for an extended period of time,” Toribiong said.The Senate has deferred action on Bells’ nomination due to questions about the authenticity of her educational credentials.Several documents have been circulating discrediting her diplomas — one is a letter from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was supposed to have graduated with honors. A university official said Bells’ diploma is a forgery. Bells told the Senate that there are also documents proving her credentials are authentic and that she has provided them to Sen. Alfonso Diaz, who chairs the Senate Committee on Tourism Development.Toribiong said Bells “believes that it is in the best interest of the Republic of Palau to quickly have a minister to this newly organized ministry and that her extended absence from Palau will not allow her to effectively serve in the ministerial post.”Toribiong said the withdrawal of her nomination has nothing to do with the questions regarding her credentials.
