Overview:
Ngardmau Gov. Jennifer Ngiraiwet is fighting back in court after the state legislature locked her out of the Governor’s Office and installed Speaker Terrence Miozawa as acting governor. Ngiraiwet is seeking a restraining order and denies the bribery allegations behind her impeachment — while past Ngardmau impeachment cases could shape how the courts rule this time.
By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
NGARDMAU, Palau (July 28, 2026) — Ngardmau Gov. Jennifer Ngiraiwet is challenging her impeachment in court and seeking a temporary restraining order against the 11th Kelulul Ngardmau, according to documents filed Monday.
The legislature, represented by Speaker Terrence W. Miozawa, took over the Governor’s Office and changed the locks on Saturday, according to sources in Ngardmau. Miozawa has since assumed the role of acting governor.
When Ngiraiwet arrived at the office Monday morning, Miozawa and his attorney were waiting and served her with a TRO barring her from entering. Witnesses said Ngiraiwet left the state building after receiving the order, and several state employees walked out with her.
Ngiraiwet’s Response
In her court filings, Ngiraiwet defended the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with S4 Company at the center of the impeachment resolution. She said she negotiated and executed the agreement after taking office Jan. 7, 2025, doing so “in consultation with Chief Beouch Obakrairur and then-Speaker Willard Kumangai.”
Ngiraiwet said the JVA received unanimous approval from Ngardmau residents at a Dec. 1, 2025, public hearing held with the Environmental Quality Protection Board. She denied receiving “money, gifts, or anything of value from S4 Company,” rejecting the central allegation in the legislature’s impeachment resolution.
As of Monday, the Palau Election Commission had not ruled on the impeachment process. PEC Director Sherwin Yamanguchi was in Guam on an official trip and could not be reached for comment. PEC Board Chairperson Bisayang Luii declined to comment, saying the matter must first go through review by the commission’s attorney.
Precedent: A History of Impeached Governors
Ngiraiwet is the third — and possibly fourth — Ngardmau governor to face impeachment. Former Gov. Albert Ngirmekur was impeached in May 2002, and former Gov. Schwartz Tudong was impeached in 2005. An older Ngardmau resident said the state’s first governor, Aichi Kumangai, was also impeached, though that case predates most available records.
Both the Ngirmekur and Tudong impeachments were challenged in court, and legal observers say those rulings could shape how Ngiraiwet’s case unfolds.
In Ngirmekur’s case, the court denied his request for a preliminary injunction and allowed a special election for governor to proceed. The court held that his removal did not violate due process and that, under the Ngardmau Constitution, “impeached” means both accused and removed from office.
The court also ruled it lacked authority to second-guess whether the legislature had “good and sufficient reasons” to remove a governor, since that power rests with the Kelulul Ngardmau under the state constitution. However, the court said it retained authority to review whether the impeachment process itself met constitutional due process standards — specifically, whether the accused received notice and an opportunity to be heard.
The court found those standards were satisfied in Ngirmekur’s case: the legislature provided detailed notice of the charges — including allegations that he made unauthorized payments to himself from public funds and forged signatures on state checks — and gave him a chance to appear at a scheduled hearing.
What’s Next
Miozawa remains acting governor while Ngiraiwet’s court challenge proceeds. Legal observers say the Ngirmekur and Tudong precedents could prove significant, since both cases established how Palau’s courts interpret legislative impeachment power, due process requirements, and the constitutional definition of “impeachment” in Ngardmau State.
