Torres administration stresses MV Luta benefits
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres has no comment yet on the taxpayer’s lawsuit brought against his right-hand man, Lt. Gov. Victor Hocog, over the adoption of a resolution Hocog authored while he was Senate president last year that purportedly passed without public notice and discussion and authorized the payment of $400,000 to a private company owned by Hocog’s relatives.
However, the Torres administration yesterday stressed the food and goods relief that the MV Luta, the 150-foot cargo ship for which the $400,000 was used to subsidize, could bring to the people of Rota.
The administration was pressed for comment late Tuesday, when news of the taxpayer’s lawsuit by former Department of Public Lands secretary John DelRosario first broke.
Among other things, the administration was asked if Torres stood by Hocog as he faced allegations for violations of the Open Government Act, Ethics Act, among others; reasons for the administration’s transfer $400,000 from the CNMI General Fund Account to Luta Mermaid, LLC’s bank account in March 2015, despite the author of the resolution, Hocog, being relatives with owners of the company; and if the CNMI government has been repaid the public funds disbursed by Finance in 2015. The resolution called for a repayment of the $400,000 “within a period of one year.”
“Governor Torres has not yet spoken to the attorney general about the lawsuit or actually seen the complaint filed in Superior Court with respect to the MV Luta. The governor cannot therefore provide any specific comments at this time about the judicial suit,” said governor spokesman Ivan Blanco said in an email yesterday.
“The governor does, however, want everyone—and especially the people of Rota who have for so many years suffered and endured incredibly high food costs and prices for basic household commodities because of unpredictable shipping services to that island—that he will continue to work for a solution to that problem and hopes that the MV Luta can play some role in bringing relief to the people throughout the CNMI,” Blanco said.
DelRosario also filed the lawsuit against Department of Finance Secretary Larissa Larson for causing this $400,000 to be transferred from the general fund account to the company Luta Mermaid LLC.
The $400,000 was reportedly from funds from the Saipan exclusive license fees reserved to Rota through the casino law.
Besides the apparent illegal actions that transfered the $400K to the account signatures on the MV Rota account (who were they) One of the biggest questions in this whole act is exactly where did the $400K actually go? Where is the accountability? Did it actually go for the fuel (doubtful), did it go to sustain the “family” and Victors many trips to the mainland to check on this vessel?
Did it go into his families pockets?
Was it a “loan” or a “subsidy?” It has been referred to as both throughout the past year. When will it get paid back??
Vic’s family owns the company. Vic’s family owns the Stevedore which gouges those who need cargo lifted off the boats and onto land. Isn’t that a large part of why the people of Rota are suffering? The cost of unloading basic goods added to the risk of entering and exiting the tiny west harbor?
Vic and his family seem to be the problem and the solution. Was there an agreement to lower the stevedore fees in exchange for a “public subsidy” or “public loan?” How will he good people of Rota ever get a fair shake if their leaders continue to pillage??
Buenas captain,
The answer to your question is the money was a seed money to win multi-million dollars potential contracts from ACG of Tinian. Thanks to the person in question, contracts were being afforded the familial way by using his/her position. Wait a minute, no Feds monies or funds involved and there would be no monkey house time served. The feds are useless relating to the case above and the show must go on.
Governor Torres, don’t get your yourself entangle with such scam.
Si Yu’us Ma’ase
I give up Governor what benefits are the people of Rota getting from the MV Luta? One thing Rota is getting is an even worse reputation for honesty when dealing with possible investors.
After all the headlines and grandstanding, not to mention the $400,000.00, the M/V Luta gets the response from the Governor the he “hopes that the MV Luta can play some role in bringing relief to the people throughout the CNMI,” WOW! It is readily apparent that this enterprise was founded for one reason only and that is NOT to benefit anyone not “in the family” Mr. John needs to amend his charges to include conspiracy to defraud and collusion to monopolize commerce. Sounds like RICO to me and even though no Fed funds were in play, its a fair guess that someone, somewhere will take notice of all these shenanigans.