U.S. State Department bars Palau Senate president from entering the country over bribes and lobbying for China’s interests

The U.S. State Department has barred the president of Palau’s Senate from traveling to the United States over allegations that he accepted bribes to advance the interests of China’s government and Chinese criminal figures, according to a department statement.

The travel ban announced Tuesday targets Hokkons Baules, the president of Palau’s Senate, and Anderson Jibas, a former mayor from Marshall Islands. 

“Baules abused his public position by accepting bribes in exchange for providing advocacy and support for government, business, and criminal interests from China" the State Department said in a statement.

Baules denied any wrongdoing in comments to OCCRP. "I feel they just don’t like me because I am supporting People’s Republic of China businessmen in Palau,” Baules told OCCRP. “So they are trying to find a way to make my name bad, but I don’t know any corruption they’re talking about," he said. 

Previous OCCRP reporting has revealed how organized crime figures and other questionable businessmen have helped China expand its presence in Palau, a Pacific island country of just 16,000 people that is closely allied with the U.S.. Last year, Washington sanctioned several ethnic Chinese businesspeople with ties to the Prince Group, a multi-billion-dollar online fraud syndicate.

Baules has been a vocal advocate for ending Palau’s diplomatic recognition of Taiwan and moving closer to China.