Kaipat estate appeals for speedy AGO review

The Rita Kaipat estate called on the Attorney General’s Office yesterday to expedite its review of the estate’s $4.41-million settlement agreement with the Marianas Public Lands Authority.

Kaipat estate Luis Pelisamen said he is not bothered that the AGO is currently looking into the propriety of the land compensation that his family stands to receive in exchange for a property that now forms part of Middle Road.

He maintained that the negotiations between MPLA and the Kaipat estate that led to the settlement agreement were all done legally.

“I’m sure what the AG is doing is just procedure. There’s no problem with that. I’m not worried because we didn’t do anything against the law,” Pelisamen said.

However, Pelisamen expressed hope that the AGO would not take long in reviewing the settlement, saying his family had waited long enough.

“We’ve been waiting for too long. A lot of my family members need that money to get treatment for their medical problems,” he said.

The Attorney General’s Office requested from MPLA on Friday copies of documents pertaining to settlement offers and board minutes in relation to the Kaipat estate’s claim.

Assistant attorney general James Livingstone, who now heads the AGO’s civil division, said his office would look into the propriety of the settlement.

“The AGO is interested in making sure that the laws of the Commonwealth are properly enforced,” Livingstone said. “MPLA has obligations on how to calculate land payments and we have an interest in MPLA following those.”

In a media statement, MPLA said it would comply with the AGO’s request pursuant to the Open Government Act. But the agency added that fund disbursement to the Kaipat heirs would proceed according to the settlement agreement.

The $4.41-million settlement is about 43 times greater than the authority’s original offer of over $102,000. However, the amount slightly slid by $350,000 than the amount the MPLA and the estate had agreed to earlier this year.

The land compensation pertains to the government’s expropriation of land registered in the name of Rita Kaipat, which measures approximately 6,000-sqm and now forms part of the Chalan Pale Arnold or Middle Road. The estate has received no compensation from the government.