Guerrero says Villagomez didn’t tell him to lie

Guam attorney David J. Lujan, counsel for Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez, spent several hours yesterday cross-examining the U.S. government’s 24th witness—former Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Anthony C. Guerrero.

In his testimony, Guerrero agreed with Lujan that during his taped conversations with Villagomez, the lieutenant governor did not tell him to lie to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or any other law enforcement personnel.

Nor did Villagomez ask him not to cooperate with the investigation relating to the purchases of Rydlyme, Guerrero said.

Quoting a transcript of one of the taped conversations, Lujan said the lieutenant governor told Guerrero to do what is right—let them investigate.

“That’s correct,” the former CUC official replied.

Guerrero agreed that when he told Villagomez during their wired conversations that the FBI was grilling him about Rydlyme, the lieutenant governor did not tell him not to talk to the FBI about the Rydlyme transactions.

He said Villagomez only asked if his name had popped up.

Guerrero also admitted that in one of those taped conversations, Villagomez did not tell him to hide any information about him or to tell a lie about the Rydlyme transaction.

When Saipan Tribune left the courtroom yesterday afternoon, Lujan was still cross-examining the former CUC executive director relating to the wired conversations.

Earlier yesterday, Guerrero said he was shocked upon learning only after the signing of the sole-source contract that Blue Pacific paid only $30,000 to Apex Engineering, the manufacturer of Rydlyme, for the 2007 transaction.

He said with the $120,000 purchase, he could not look at CUC managers in the eyes because at that time CUC couldn’t buy fuel and some power plant parts.

Guerrero said he if he had known earlier that Blue Pacific only paid $30,000 for the chemical, he would not have given the company any payment.

Guerrero has already pleaded guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy, and theft of federal funds. He began his testimony last Thursday.

Lujan began cross-examining Guerrero on Friday morning.

Guerrero earlier testified that Villagomez pressured him to process the $120,000 Rydlyme sole-source contract with Joaquina V. Santos’ Blue Pacific and make some payments. He also admitted he was wired by the FBI when he talked with Villagomez about the justification to purchase Rydlyme from Blue Pacific.