Overview:
Three assistant attorneys general in Palau are currently practicing law privately while serving in government, according to Attorney General Ernestine Rengiil. The disclosure is raising questions about workload, potential conflicts of interest and delays in cases before the Attorney General’s Office.
By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
KOROR, Palau (August 6, 2026)— Three assistant attorneys general are currently engaged in private legal practice while working for the government, under contracts that allow them to do so, Attorney General Ernestine Rengiil said Wednesday.
Rengiil’s comments came after the issue was raised during the Senate’s fourth day of its seventh special session, where Sen. Tellames questioned the workload and delays involving the Office of the Attorney General.
Tellames specifically raised concerns about Assistant Attorney General Hila Asanuma, who is assigned to the long-overdue Palau Housing Authority fraud case while also practicing law privately.
“We should now look very carefully at the work of the attorney general’s office,” Tellames said, referring to pending cases.
At Wednesday’s presidential press conference, Rengiil confirmed that three assistant attorneys general are permitted by their contracts to engage in private practice.
When asked whether all three are currently practicing privately, Rengiil confirmed that they are.
Rengiil said government attorneys are expected to work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while private legal work is permitted as long as it does not create a conflict with their government responsibilities.
“If there is a conflict, then of course that attorney will not be able to handle the case,” Rengiil said when asked what would happen if an assistant attorney general represented a private client and later encountered a conflict while prosecuting a case involving the same client on behalf of the government.
Rengiil said the Attorney General’s Office has three attorneys in its civil division and five in its criminal division. If a conflict of interest arises, she said the case would be assigned to another attorney within the office.
Tellames, however, questioned whether attorneys employed full time by the government should be allowed to maintain private legal practices.
“I believe a person who is there full time should not engage in private practice of law, for this is the reason why cases prosecuted by the attorney general’s office are always delayed,” Tellames said during the Senate session.
“The Palauan people deserve to see results of cases that affect them,” he added.
Rengiil said the arrangement is not unusual, noting that some senators also maintain private law practices.
The issue raises questions about how government attorneys balance their public responsibilities with private legal work, particularly when the Attorney General’s Office is handling cases that have been pending for extended periods.