Acting House speaker Frank Dela Cruz (Ind-Saipan) said yesterday that Gov. Eloy S. Inos\u2019 statement that the process for international extradition is a function of the federal government\u2014not the local government\u2014poses the question of whether Inos \u201cis saying that he is unwilling to do anything\u201d to bring back former governor Benigno R. Fitial to face the charges against him related to corruption.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he confirming that he is doing absolutely nothing to bring former governor Fitial to justice?\u201d Dela Cruz asked.<\/p>\n
Dela Cruz said the CNMI people and House members who support the resolution know quite well that the governor \u201ccan take steps to help the process along.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis of course assumes that he is inclined to do so. Since the issuance of the arrest warrant in March 2013, has Governor Inos lifted a finger this past year to assist the extradition process? Has the governor picked up the phone to see if he can be of assistance? What has Governor Inos done?\u201d Dela Cruz asked.<\/p>\n
The resolution that Dela Cruz and six other lawmakers prefiled on Monday requesting the governor to take the necessary steps for Fitial\u2019s extradition will be acted on during the House\u2019s tentatively set session on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Senate President Ralph Torres (R-Saipan) separately said yesterday he supports the prefiled resolution, \u201cto support what the people decide, the mandate of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously I\u2019m also in support of doing the right thing,\u201d Torres told reporters after a session of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation yesterday.<\/p>\n
Torres, Inos\u2019 running mate in the November gubernatorial elections, said the extradition process \u201cis not that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess the first question is, has the request been made? If the request has been made, then let us follow through. If the request is not made, then\u2026they have to look the process on that,\u201d the Senate president added.<\/p>\n
Office of the Public Auditor legal counsel George Hasselback, meanwhile, said yesterday he cannot comment on this specific case at this time but as to the extradition process, he had this to say: \u201cGenerally speaking, extradition is a process to return somebody somewhere after they\u2019ve been arrested and as far as I know, nobody has been arrested. Beyond that, I really don\u2019t have any comment specifically on this case because the case is still ongoing,\u201d Hasselback, special prosecutor, told Saipan Tribune.<\/p>\n
Dela Cruz said he\u2019s glad that the governor agrees that \u201cno one is above the law.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut saying that he cannot negotiate with the Philippine government, that he must respect the Constitution, allow the special prosecutor and the feds to do their job\u2014all of that is just talk. And now he invites the Legislature to extend the same respect to the hardworking law enforcement authorities? Thank you for the invitation but where was the respect for the FBI at the airport? The governor should stop issuing invitations. That is how Fitial got this whole thing started in the first place,\u201d Dela Cruz said.<\/p>\n
He said the resolution asks in a respectful manner \u201cthat the governor do what he can. Nothing more. Nothing less.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty three words: \u2018The House hereby requests that Governor Eloy S. Inos take the necessary steps for the extradition of former CNMI Governor Benigno R. Fitial.\u2019 Is that so hard to understand? If the governor sincerely believes that the law ties his hands to the extent that he will be ineffective, then I still respectfully maintain that he call up the relevant federal authorities. If he is willing to waste his breath lecturing the Legislature, why won\u2019t he waste his breath for a good cause\u2014bringing Fitial to justice?\u201d Dela Cruz said.<\/p>\n
He added that they are interested in the governor\u2019s actions, not his words.<\/p>\n
\u201cLecturing the Legislature is a futile exercise that will accomplish nothing to get Mr. Fitial back home,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Inos, while still in Washington, D.C. for a series of meetings, issued a statement on Tuesday saying that \u201csome local lawmakers are erroneously implying\u201d that the process for international extradition is a function of the local government.<\/p>\n
He said the special prosecutor\u2014not the governor\u2014\u201chas to go through the federal Department of Justice, who then forwards it to the Department of State, who then makes a formal request to the Government of the Philippines.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fitial is believed to be in his wife\u2019s hometown of Gapan in Nueva Ecija, a Philippine province north of Manila.<\/p>\n
Inos said the resolution should direct the special prosecutor, not the governor, to initiate the necessary steps for extradition.<\/p>\n
Dela Cruz told Saipan Tribune that the federal government would not do anything if the CNMI government does not ask for help.<\/p>\n
Superior Court associate judge David Wiseman issued a warrant of arrest for Fitial on March 6, 2013, in connection with the criminal case against Buckingham, who was convicted and sentenced last week.<\/p>\n
Fitial resigned from office on Feb. 20, 2013, after being impeached by the 18th House of Representatives for 18 articles of corruption, felony, and neglect of duty. He stepped down days before the start of his impeachment trial at the Senate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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