Saipan Tribune

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Monday, October 22, 2012

Flashback Oct. 22, 2000-2002

Oct. 22, 2000

Lang has to get a lawyer, says AG

Embattled former Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio has to get a new lawyer and pay for his own defense to appeal a 1997 court ruling that ordered him to pay $12.4 million to the CNMI people for unlawful expenditures of public funds. This was the contention of acting Attorney General Maya B. Kara, who yesterday reaffirmed the administration's initial rejection of any legal or financial assistance to the ex-governor because it is no longer a government obligation. "He has to get a new counsel by today (Thursday)," she told reporters in an interview. "The court will decide whether he is or not" entitled to the assistance which Froilan sought from Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio in their meeting last week.

CUC defends decision in Saipan power project

Saying it's like comparing apples and oranges, the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation yesterday lashed back at allegation that it has erred in its initial decision to award the controversial Saipan power project to Marubeni-Sithe after independent experts ranked other firms higher. Acting CUC Executive Director Patrick Leon Guerrero defended the selection process adopted by the government-owned utility corporation when it chose Japan's Marubeni Corp. and its U.S. partner, Sithe Energies, Inc., over other competitors last year. He said CUC and Burns & McDonnell-the private engineering firm it hired early this year in response to mounting complaints -- evaluated the bidders on different proposals submitted as their "best and final offers."

Oct. 22, 2001

House leaders question Torres’ ethics

Calling it a "desperate act of a desperate man," Speaker Benigno R. Fitial has denounced Rep. Stanley Torres (R-Saipan) for engaging in dirty politics and abusing his position as a legislator for political gain. Fitial was reacting to a letter Torres introduced at the end of a House of Representatives session Friday, which contained a laundry list of unsubstantiated claims against the speaker. The speaker called the accusations of Torres as "absurd," noting that, "Torres is obvious in his attempt to misinform the public and use his office as the forum right before an election," said Fitial.

Help extended to college students

The Refaluwasch Scholarship Trust Fund received a $500-donation from the Office of Rep. William S. Torres, to assist Carolinian students pursue their higher education plans. Torres, in a letter addressed to Carolinian Affairs Inc. officers and the CNMI Scholarship Office, said the financial assistance complements his office's commitment to provide aid to all college students in the CNMI. He also offered support to the CNMI Scholarship Office, vowing to assist the agency become more active in the administration of the Refaluwasch Scholarship Trust Fund. According to Torres, the increased role of the scholarship-granting office in such efforts would enable the Carolinian Affairs Inc. to concentrate in securing more money for the trust fund through various activities.

Oct. 22, 2002

Insurance firm elevates protest vs CPA to court

An insurance company has elevated to the judicial court its bidding protest regarding the Commonwealth Ports Authority’s insurance coverage for the fiscal years 2001 and 2003, which included seaport assets appraised at $63 million. In a legal brief filed with the Superior Court yesterday, Marianas Insurance Company, Ltd. said the CPA could have saved some $92,000 in premium payments if MICO was selected. Records showed the CPA awarded the bid to another insurance company, AON Insurance Micronesia. Brien Sers Nicholas, the lawyer for MICO, said that AON’s initial proposal for premiums amounted to only $624,000. After it was awarded the contract, Sers Nicholas alleged the amount of the premiums was changed to $895,081.

’HR 2826 could still pass in a lame duck session’

Guam Rep. Robert A. Underwood expressed hope that his bill, House Resolution 2826, would be passed during a lameduck session of the U.S. House of Representatives. That bill essentially seeks to increase the limit on the waiver requirement for grants provided to American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth. “It [H.R. 2826] is moving as a single bill and it might pass in a lameduck session. If that happens, then the local governments everywhere stand to save a lot of money,” said Underwood in an interview yesterday.