Inos confirmation hearing on Friday

The Senate is set to vote Friday whether to confirm Eloy Inos as the new lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth.

The public is invited to testify before the Senate about the appointment. The body will take that into account when making a decision, Senate President Pete Reyes said yesterday. The hearing is scheduled for 9am Friday in the Senate chamber on Capital Hill.

Gov. Benigno Fitial submitted Finance Secretary Inos’ name to the Senate on Monday. Under the CNMI Constitution, whenever there is a vacancy in the Office of Lieutenant Governor, the governor must appoint a successor with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The position is currently vacant after Timothy P. Villagomez resigned from the office over the weekend, after he was found guilty of charges relating to a scheme to defraud the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.

It has been decided that Inos must meet the same requirements as other Senate appointments. He must disclose his financial background and submit to a drug test, Reyes said.

The Senate president earlier said he fully supports Inos as lieutenant governor.

Asked why he supports the Finance secretary to fill the position of lieutenant governor, Reyes said:

“Eloy is a jack of all trades. Eloy is a person that repairs any damages. He’s the person that fixes everything that goes wrong.

Also, Reyes said, Inos is running as lieutenant governor with Fitial in November’s election. By confirming Inos, the Senate is showing its respect that he is the natural choice for the appointment.

Fitial, in his appointment letter, said he believes Inos will do well as the next lieutenant governor of the CNMI.

“I am confident that Mr. Inos, with his many years of service in the Commonwealth government, will be an asset to my administration and serve ably on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth,” the governor wrote. “I respectfully request your prompt and favorable action on this appointment.”

If and when the Senate confirms Inos as the new lieutenant governor, Fitial will make a new appointment to the position of Finance secretary, said Charles Reyes, press secretary for the Governor’s Office.

The matter is currently being discussed, but there is still some time to address the issue until Inos is confirmed, he said.