Teno warns against political pressures

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has reminded public officials against subjecting their subordinates to political pressures following a report from the Office of the Public Auditor disclosing termination of Rota local government employees who refused to support the former mayor.

In a memorandum previously issued to all government agencies, the governor warned that legal action may be taken against public officials who would consider the employees’ political affiliation in the determination of his tenure.

Mr. Tenorio cited a provision in the Commonwealth Code which prohibits the promotion, demotion or termination of public officials or employees on the basis of their political or religious actions or beliefs.

The provision particularly mentioned the illegality of taking any action that may affect the security of tenure of public officials or employees who supported or did not support the candidacy of any person seeking an elective office.

“Furthermore, [the Commonwealth Code] specifically prohibits a person in the civil service to use official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with an election or affecting its result,” Mr. Tenorio pointed out.

The CNMI chief executive issued the memorandum in the wake of OPA investigations which revealed the involvement of former officials of the Rota Mayor’s Office in the illegal termination of some employees who did not support the former mayor’s reelection bid.

This prompted the Attorney General’s Office to explore the possibility of filing criminal charges against former RMO officials directly involved in the use of coercive actions against their employees who did not support the former mayor’s candidacy.

Attorney General Herbert Soll said his office anticipates charging the individuals involved with multiple counts of theft, bribery, political coercion, conspiracy, solicitation and misconduct in public office.

The AGO’s Investigative Unit has already been instructed to review certain witness statements that are critical to the most serious charges and update their version of events since the incidents occurred three years ago.

The OPA investigation also disclosed previous administrators of the Rota Mayor’s Office misused government funds by issuing four payroll checks amounting $2,064 to an already resigned employee.

OPA’s investigation came after RMO employees, in 1996, complained that they were being subjected by some municipal officials to political pressures to support the reelection bid of then Rota Mayor Joseph S. Inos.

The employees claimed that they were then being forced to attend the mayor’s political functions if they want to continue their employment with the Rota Mayor’s Office.

In 1997, OPA said it was flooded with reports that RMO employees were dismissed mainly because they refused to support the reelection of the former Rota mayor, who told public auditor personnel that the employees served purely at his pleasure.

Moreover, after appointing 12 limited term employees in the month before the election, the RMO later attempted to use coercive action against nine of them either by comments on their refusal to support the mayor or by early termination, the OPA report said.