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MPLA stalls for more time in House probe
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Posted on Aug 10 2004
The Marianas Public Lands Authority has asked for an extension on its deadline to submit certain documents to the House of Representatives’ investigation committee.
Committee chair Rep. Clyde Norita said that MPLA, which was required to submit documents last Friday following a subpoena, asked for the deadline to be extended to Aug. 11.
The Department of Health, meantime, which also received a subpoena, was able to turn in the required documents as scheduled, the lawmaker said.
“They [DPH] submitted documents which I have yet to review. We’ll know if they’ve given us all the needed documents. If it’s insufficient, we’ll go back and ask for more,” he said.
Norita’s panel has cited the two agencies following allegations of discrepancies in the implementation of policies and procedures involving the Commonwealth’s medical referral program as well as MPLA’s “questionable” legal expenses and activities.
The committee has demanded that the DPH turn in copies of medical referral policies pertaining to eligibility, room and board, travel and escort. It asked in particular for documents or records relating to the treatment and services rendered for Ramon Sakisat’s son.
With MPLA, the committee wanted to dig into the agency’s legal expenses pertaining to its lawsuits involving the Marianas Public Lands Trust and MPLA former commissioner, Bertha Deleon Guerrero. The committee also demanded the release of contracts that the MPLA had executed for legal services in the last two years.
At the same time, Norita’s committee aims to scrutinize documents pertaining to the off-island workshops and seminars attended by MPLA board legal counsel Ramon Quichocho.
Meantime, Norita said that, although Deleon Guerrero has recently settled her case with MPLA, his committee would still cover the issue in the investigation.
“We can still look into it,” he said.
He said that his committee may drop the issue over MPLA’s donation to the judiciary last May for the latter’s commemoration celebrations.
Norita said the judiciary’s Margaret Palacios has informed the panel that MPLA had sponsored lunch and that it did not involve any transfer of funds.
“We’ll take the court’s word for it,” he said.
