Horlings is a former presidential legal counsel during the time of President Ngiratkel Etpison and worked in Palau as the Attorney General and legal counsel to Etpison from 1989 to 1992.
The Senate in a voting of 9-0 adopted the report of the Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Affairs recommending the rejection of the passage of the report.The committee report said that although Horlings is highly qualified to serve as prosecutor his responses to the questionnaire sent to him concerned the panel.Horlings told the panel in his response that he might be able to serve more than two years and his potential conflict of interest that might impair his ability to prosecute persons in Palau.The report said that Horlings answer to the panel’s query about whether he would be able to serve a five-year term as Special Prosecutor, he said that he has only been offered a two year contract and might not work beyond the two-year period.Horlings also told the committee that there may be conflict of interests especially those individuals he gas formed friendships during the time he lived in Palau.“The committee believes it is important to find a truly neutral Special Prosecutor, one who has no potential for conflicts of interest fulfilling the mandate of the position,” the report said.It added that appointing Horlings for only two years is not sufficient.The committee pointed out that the last Special Prosecutor, Everett Walton did not have time to pursue because he had ran out of time to pursue them that is why some of the cases were dismissed.“If the next Special Prosecutor has only a two-year period , the committee fears that this may happen again, which could prevent the successful prosecution of wrongdoing by government officials,” the report stated.President Remengesau appointed Horlings due to his extensive legal experience in broad range of jobs including criminal prosecution experience.Horlings is currently working as an Environmental Attorney in Arizona, United States.
