Saipan Tribune

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

AG to lawmaker: No cease and desist order for GPPC

Attorney General Joey Patrick San Nicolas has not granted Rep. Teresita Santos' (Ind-Rota) request to issue a cease and desist order against GPPC Inc. for docking its ship at Rota East Harbor, saying it is the Commonwealth Ports Authority that regulates ports in the CNMI.

San Nicolas, however, said that Santos is correct is asserting that Department of Public Lands' Ray Salas and the rest of DPL have no authority to allow GPPC to dock its ship at Rota East Harbor for a one-time “dry run.”

“.the Office of the Attorney General has contacted the Department of Public Lands, and no such authorization to use the Rota East Harbor, or any other port, will emanate from the Department of Public Lands in the future,” San Nicolas told Santos in a Feb. 12 response to the lawmaker's Feb. 8 letter.

Santos, chair of the four-member Rota Legislative Delegation, said GPPC’s use of Rota East Harbor without CPA authorization “is in direct violation of the CNMI Code, which provides that CPA has the authority to enforce full control of all ports of entry in the CNMI.”

San Nicolas seconded this in his response letter.

“Therefore, CPA, and not DPL, is the entity statutorily charged with authorizing a vessel to use the Rota East Harbor. In conclusion, I encourage you to contact [CPA] about this matter. The CPA will be able to assist you in ensuring that the Rota East Harbor is not improperly used in the future,” San Nicolas told Santos.