‘Appointing Kingman as AAG more cost-effective’

James Kingman

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios believes the appointment of former special prosecutor James Kingman as an assistant attorney general would be more cost-effective for the CNMI, given that his original one-year contract with the OAG was around $50,000.

In an interview with Palacios yesterday, he said that most assistant attorneys general are paid around $50,000 to $55,000 per year, which makes Kingman the exception, with his annual salary being $85,000, thus keeping him on island.

Kingman is currently the head prosecutor in the ongoing criminal case against former governor Ralph DLG Torres.

“The attorney general has requested that we up the cost of that position to at least $85,000 and to provide certification to go over the salary cap. We do that sometimes with attorneys to keep them on island,” he said.

Palacios said he believes that, by appointing Kingman as an AAG, the OAG would be spending less to keep him on island as opposed to his original contract that required a $50,000 retainer.

“I’m assuming that the reason that the AG decided to do this is because if he had tried to establish an independent contract again, they’d have to issue an RFP again and that would be more costly in the long run. Continuing his contract for short periods at a time would’ve probably cost us more. His retainer was $50,000 so it would probably be more expensive to continue with the independent contracts,” Palacios said.

Kingman was hired back in March for the sole purpose of serving as the special prosecutor in former governor Ralph DLG Torres’ criminal case currently pending in Superior Court.

Kingman’s initial contract with the OAG was set to expire in this year, but it’s believed that he was appointed as an AAG so that he can continue to serve as the head prosecutor for Torres’ trial, which has been postponed again.

Torres’ trial has yet to be rescheduled but the defense has proposed a possible trial date in April 2024.

The governor said he is confident that Kingman will serve the CNMI well in the prosecution of the former governor’s case.

“I don’t believe there will be a conflict because Kingman is actually separated from the Attorney General’s Office. I’m confident in Kingman’s ability to serve as AAG in the ongoing case against the former governor,” he said.

“This is a small community so we all know what the issues are, so it’s just a matter of him putting his case together and I’m confident that the judicial process would give the former governor his due process, which will be appropriate and reasonable while also protecting his constitutional rights,” Palacios added.

Palacios noted that the funds used to pay Kingman’s salary would be sourced from the Attorney General’s Office.

“It’s not a conflict [with our austerity measures]. The OAG has its own budget,” he said.

The defense team for Torres says the public deserves an explanation from the Attorney General’s Office regarding Kingman’s appointment.

“The OAG should explain to the public why it is paying Mr. Kingman the extraordinary pay. What are the specific successful criminal prosecutions handled by Mr. Kingman in cases involving public corruption, financial crimes, and/or white-collar crimes that justify the extraordinary sums the government is paying him? If such cases do not exist, then what is the justification for the extraordinary pay and for not advertising the position?” asked the defense.

Saipan Tribune tried to obtain comments from Attorney General Edward Manibusan but was informed that he is off-island on leave.

In addition, Kingman was also unable to provide a statement on his recent appointment as AAG.