On Friday, November 4, 2022, following a three-day trial, the Trial Division of the Palau Supreme Court found Co-Defendant, Franco Gibbons, guilty of four counts: Count 1 (Misconduct in Public Office, a felony); Count 3 (Ethics Violation for Use of Government Property, a misdemeanor); Count 5 (Ethics Violation for Conflict of Interest, a misdemeanor); and Count 9 (Tampering with a Government Record, a misdemeanor).
Gibbons was found not guilty of Count 7, Theft of Government Property in the First Degree. Gibbons is scheduled for sentencing on December 2, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. before Presiding Justice Kathleen M. Salii in Courtroom 101, Palau Supreme Court, Koror, Palau.
Co-Defendant Jolene Ngoriakl was earlier tried separately in the same case on four counts and found guilty of Count 4 (Ethics Violation for Use of Government Property) and Count 6 (Ethics Violation for Conflict of Interest). Ngoriakl was found not guilty of Count 8 (Theft of Government Property in the First Degree) and Count 9 (Tampering with a Government Record).
Ngoriakl is scheduled for sentencing on November 14, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. before Presiding Justice Kathleen M. Salii in Courtroom 101, Palau Supreme Court, Koror, Palau.