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By Rolynda Jonathan
On July 16, 2013, former Palau Senator and radio talk show host Alfonso Diaz, was tried in the Palau Supreme Court on four counts of broadcast violations for his failure to produce complete, unedited recordings of his radio broadcasts.
Palau law requires that when the Division of Communications requests copies of prior broadcasts from a station the copies produced must be clear, decipherable, and unaltered.
A violation of this provision is a criminal offense.
After a two-day trial wherein Diaz testified on his own behalf, Associate Justice Kathleen Salii found Diaz guilty on all four counts as charged by the government for his failure to provide complete, unedited recordings to the Division of Communications.
The Court also imposed the maximum fine under the statute of $1000.00.
Diaz was represented by Siegfried Nakamura and the Republic was represented by Assistant Attorney Generals Perry Kendall, Jr. and Edward Brosette.
Diaz has a prior conviction under this statute.
This is his second conviction.
A third violation of this statute carries a mandatory suspension of his broadcast license by the Division for a period of not less than 6 months, as well as a $10,000 fine and/or imprisonment.