パラオが令和の記念コインを製造し、日本でも販売されているニュースは見ていたがこの度、同国の司法長官から、コイン発行を許可したサダン財務大臣にその権限はなく、あるのは国立開発銀行だけである事が明示され、コインの発行は無効となった。
このブログかなり刺激的なタイトルとしたが「令和」という日本の皇室に連携する元号。さらに「年末恒例「今年の漢字」の揮毫でも名高い京都・清水寺の森清範貫主が書き下ろした新元号」を利用している。皇室と清水寺をダブルで利用したパラオの「主権ビジネス」であることを強調したい。これが親日国家パラオの現実だ。
否定はしていない。小国パラオがあらゆる手段で外貨収益を得る努力をするのは仕方がない。麻薬もしょうがない、と思う。それしかないのだ。コインだけでない。太平洋島嶼国の郵便切手ビジネスも有名だ。問題は今回の令和コインがパラオ国内の違法な行為であった事だ。パラオ国内の問題で片付くのであろうか？
パラオ国内のサダン財務大臣が許可を出したEphram Polycarp and Palau Commemorative Coin Co. ウェブでざっと見たがなんか怪しい。ここは勘。
日本側は泰星という老舗のコイン会社である。下記のTia Belauの記事が昨年の12月１日に出ているにも拘らず、ウェブ上では販売を継続している。それだけではない。現在４７種類のパラオのコインをオンラインで販売している。
この収益はパラオ国庫に入っているのであろうか？切手や記念コインを利用したマネーロンダリングの情報もある。
Tia Belau Newspaper
Palau Commemorative Coins Auhtorization Is Void
Minister of Finance Elbuchel Sadang's letter authorizing the minting of commemorative coins as legal tender is void and without any legal basis, declared Attorney General Ernestine Rengiil.
Responding to Senator Mason Whipps’s inquiry about his December 24, 2018 letter authorizing Ephram Polycarp and Palau Commemorative Coin Co. to produce and sell legal tender commemorative coins, Finance Minister Sadang said that the letter was of no legal basis and void ab initio (from the beginning) and that the authorization is revoked immediately. This is according to an October 29, 2019 letter from Minister Sadang to Senator Whipps which just became public this week.
In the letter, Minister Sadang said: “In response to my inquiry, the Attorney General informed me that, pursuant to 26 PNC 123 (l), only the National Development Bank of Palau has the authority “to negotiate agreements for the issue of legal tender commemorative coins. In light of this fact, the December 24, 2018 letter, I signed purporting to authorize Palau Commemorative Coin Co, to select, authorize, and coordinate the production of legal tender commemorative coins was without a legal basis and void ab initio. I have written to Mr. Ephram Polycarp and Palau Commemorative Coin Co. to revoke, effective immediately, any and all authorization to select, authorize, or coordinate the production of such products.”
Attached to Sadang’s letter is October 28, 2019, legal opinion from AG Ernestine Rengiil stating that only the National Development Bank of Palau (NDBP) has such authority. The attorney general was responding to Sadang’s oral request as to who has authority over the legal tender commemorative coins.
However, AG Rengiil did not address the legality or propriety of the action of the finance minister in exercising government authority that he does not have.
With the AG’s legal opinion as a basis, Minister Sadang then told Ephram Polycarp and his Commemorative Coin Company in a separate letter that his December 24, 2018 letter has no legal effect and is revoked.
Mr. Polycarp and his company after authorization by the minister, in turn, authorized a Japan company to mint and sell the coins. The coins are promoted as commemorating the new Japan Emperor era “Reiwa” and the 25th anniversary of the Japan-Palau diplomatic ties.
The Palau legal tender coins have been on sale on the internet and in Japan with prices ranging from $50 to over $3,000 each since early this year.
