House JGO may follow Senate panel action
The House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations is now also taking a close watch on concerns involving Attorney General Ed Buckingham’s alleged ethical violations related to an ARRA management contract award.
JGO Committee chair Rep. Rafael Demapan (Cov-Saipan), in an interview yesterday, said they are looking into the matter both as members of a committee tasked to investigate ethics concerns in government and as individual lawmakers elected to office to do the right thing for the people.
“We can’t just close our eyes. We have to do something. But as of now, we haven’t decided yet what to do. The JGO Committee will be meeting next week to discuss this,” Demapan said.
This follows the Senate’s adoption of a resolution asking the CNMI Bar Association to investigate Buckingham’s alleged ethical violations.
This was the result of a recommendation by the Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Governmental Operations—the equivalent of the seven-member House JGO Committee.
The Senate also adopted a resolution asking the Office of the Public Auditor to further investigate the ARRA contract award.
Rep. Ray Palacios (Cov-Saipan), for his part, said this is an issue that the House leadership has not even discussed.
“If the Senate wants to do it, then let them do it. It’s up to them,” said Palacios, who is not a member of the JGO panel.
Rep. Stanley Torres (Ind-Saipan) and Rep. Joseph Palacios (R-Saipan), both members of the JGO Committee, declined to comment.
The Fitial administration has been saying that the U.S. Interior’s Inspector General report did not say that ethics and procurement laws and rules were violated when it awarded an ARRA management contract to former Commerce secretary Michael Ada’s Integrated Professional Solutions, but only said “may have violated.”
The Senate, meanwhile, said Ada was a “victim” in this matter because he, along with the governor and procurement director Herman Sablan, only relied on legal advice from the AG.
