Former Assistant AG Christa Nasftad denied reports that she intentionally bumped her car against Attorney General Ernestine Rengiil at the Palau Pacific Resort last week and alleged that she was misled and taken to custody without charge.
Last week, according to reports, AG Rengiil called the police after argument with former AAG Nasftad at PPR parking lot. It was alleged that former AAG had pulled into a parking space that AG Rengiil was standing in and bumping her vehicle onto Rengiil’s legs, despite number of empty parking spaces available.
Nasftad in a statement to Island Times refuted the report saying that parking lot was full and that the only spaces open where spaces reserved for Japan Embassy and handicap parking. Furthermore, she said that she did not even touch AG Rengiil, and that she honked and waved when she slowly pulled into the parking space. She said that the AG was staring at her when she was trying to pull into the parking space.
She said while she was turning into the parking space, AG Rengiil started yelling at her and pounding on her vehicle with tennis shoes. She reported that she got out of the vehicle and asked AG to stop hitting her car. According to her, AG yelled at her, threatened her, called her a foreigner and saying she will make sure she gets out of the island.
Former AG said she leaned into the car to get her phone to call the police and AG pointed to three vehicles in the parking lot with people inside saying that they were all Palauans and they will back up her story. At this time, former AG said left to find hotel manager to speak to about possible surveillance videos of the area that may help her.
While talking to one of the managers, the police arrived to talk with her. She said she told them she wanted to file her report of the incident and the officer with her gave her the impression that they were going to the police station to do that. She said she and officer went in her car and she assumed that AG went in the police car. Instead of going to the police station, she was taken directly to jail and once there, she was told to remove her jewelry. When she asked if she was being arrested, the officer said she was. When she asked what for, the officer said that they did not know yet.
She said she was kept in jail and told to wait for the next shift which was after midnight. About 5 hours later, the next shift came in and she asked to report her complaint again and was brought to station where she finally made her report.
Former AAG said that it was unfair that she was arrested. “If any arrests were to be made then either both of us should have been arrested or remain free pending investigation.”
She asserted that she never even touched Attorney General Rengiil and that she was the one being yelled at, cussed at and threatened in the parking lot.
Request for copy of police reports of the incidents was made yesterday at noon by Island Times but as of publication last night, the information was still unavailable.
Former AAG refutes reports, claims unfair treatment
