The wife of former Palau President Johnson Toribiong was arrested Monday afternoon at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport. Authorities took Christa Nafstad Toribiong into custody on an active arrest warrant from Grayson County, Texas, for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
CNMI’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) confirmed Tuesday that Mrs. Toribiong’s arrest occurred when authorities identified the outstanding warrant during her arrival in Saipan. However, since Texas does not extradite individuals from outside the 50 U.S. states, she is expected to be released.
Mrs. Toribiong, a former assistant attorney general, has been entangled in a broader legal battle involving Palau’s government. In 2022, Palau declared her an “undesirable alien,” effectively banning her return to the island nation. This led her to file a lawsuit against Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. in a U.S. federal court in Texas. She claimed the ban violated the Compact of Free Association between the U.S. and Palau, a key treaty governing their relationship.
The U.S. Department of Justice intervened in the lawsuit, arguing that President Whipps is entitled to head-of-state immunity from U.S. court jurisdiction. The court dismissed her case without prejudice, meaning she may refile it in the future.
