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15 Years Ago In Pacific Magazine

 15 Years Ago In Pacific Magazine

A prominent politician and two other people have been arrested and charged with plotting the assassination seven years ago of the first president of Palau.

Former Minister of State John O. Ngiraked, Sulial Heinrick and Emerita Kerradel, who is Ngiraked’s wife, have been implicated by a man who confessed to killing President Haruo Ignacio Remeliik in 1985. All three have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

The charges allege Ngiraked and Kerradel hired Patrick Remarii to kill Remeliik. Heinrick is Remarii’s alleged accomplice. Ngiraked claims Remarii is his cousin and has fabricated the story to save himself from a life beset with personal problems.

Ngiraked told news sources in Palau that the interim special prosecutor in the case, David Webster, has been duped by Remarii. Ngiraked said Remarii has been promised a reward of $100,000 in cash and a new life in the United States under the U.S. Witness Protection Program if he serves as a government witness and the case is won.

Ngiraked also said Remarii was facing attempted murder charges for severely beating his wife, when he made his deal with Webster.

Webster has declined to comment on the case.

Remeliik was shot four times with a .30 cal. carbine when he was walking from his car to his home in Koror on June 30, 1985. On December 6, three men, Melwert Tmetuchl, Leslie Tewid and Anghenio Sabino, were arrested. On March 6, 1986, the three were convicted in the assassination and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 25 to 35 years.

On July 16, 1987, the Palau Supreme Court reversed the convictions after a key witness failed a lie detector test. The witness has said she overheard the men conspiring to kill the president.