Lawsuits and legal review of agency policy and decisions are costing the Marianas Public Lands Authority about $400,000 annually, it was learned last week.<\/p>\n
MPLA comptroller David Demapan disclosed that MPLA currently has six lawyers on its payroll.<\/p>\n
Two of them are regular MPLA personnel: Alan Lane, the legal counsel for the MPLA board of directors, and Ray Dela Cruz, MPLA hearing officer. Each earns an annual salary of about $65,000, plus fringe benefits, Demapan said.<\/p>\n
The four others are hired on a contractual basis and paid a total of $365,000. They are Ray Quichocho and Matthew Smith, who get about $80,000 each yearly; Anthony Long, who receives $75,000 in annual retainer fee; and Matt Gregory, who is paid $35,000 to work on a small project, Demapan said.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives earlier expressed concern about MPLA\u2019s legal expenses. The matter was one of the topics that were supposed to be taken up in a House inquiry on the MPLA.<\/p>\n
But in an interview, MPLA board chairwoman Ana Demapan-Castro maintained that the lawyers were hired with different scopes of work.<\/p>\n
She said MPLA needs all the legal help it could get in view of the various lawsuits currently facing the agency, particularly the board of directors.<\/p>\n
She cited the long-running lawsuit filed by the Marianas Public Land Trust against MPLA involving the latter\u2019s alleged improper use of proceeds from its public land leases.<\/p>\n
Demapan-Castro added that board decisions relating to land compensation have also resulted in lawsuits by disgruntled claimants.<\/p>\n
The MPLA board is also facing litigation over the termination of former commissioner Henry Hofschneider, who is questioning Demapan-Castro\u2019s unilateral decision to fire him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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