NMI Spends Nearly $1-M for Legal Help

I iJ /1 l ,, i I, arianas %riet~~ I Micronesia's Leading Newspaper Since 1972 ®,Views For one year period: Teno Administration NMI spends nearly to extend PR contract dent Lynn Knight was hired to do promotional work for three months beginning Sept. 24 for · $4,500. $1-M for legal help The contract which expires today, Dec. 24th, has been re By Jojo Dass providing legal services to the citizens. newed for the another three Variety News Staff CNMI Civil Service Commission Wiseman, the same records months, officials said. GOVERNMENThasspentnearly (CSC), pending approval by Bud showed, is also involv~d in about According to the documents, $1 million this year for lawyers' get and Finance Special Assistant six other pending litigation re SAG' s job involves, among oth services in resolving various liti Michael Sablan of a CSC request lated to NMHC and two projects ers, preparing press releases and gation and legal questions, includ for an in-house lawyer. - the Koblerville expansion and related work -- tasks allegedly ing those involving housing for David A. Wiseman ranked the sale of some 52 housing units · Lynn Knight duplicating the governor's pub citizens of Freely Associated third, getting $125,000 or $165 at the Sugar King subdivision in lic information office. States, to submerged ancestral an hour excluding expenses, to Garapan. By Jojo Dass Knight is among a handful of lands and telecommunications. represent the commonwealth in a - U.S.-based lawyer Thomas K. Variety News Staff Tenorio's documented consult Highest paid, according to U .S District Court case involving Crowe got $100,000 in retainer's GOVERNORPedroP. Tenorio ants. records from the Division of Pro the U.S. Department of Housing fee to provide legal services for contracted the services of a lo The others are Mike Sablan, curement and Supply, is a Massa Urban Planning, the Northern the government's telecommuni cal public relations firm to boost special ad v"iser for fioance man chusetts-based law firm, Marianas Housing Corp. cations program this year. He is his administration's image, agement, whose contract was Macmeekin and Woodward, (NMHC) and some 20 FAS citi getting anotQer $100,000 next records obtained through a Free again extended up to March which got $312,000forrepresent zens. year. dom of Information request 2000 at $48,000. ing CNMI in an ongoing U.S. The case stemmed from a suit A Virginia-based law firm, the showed. Education consultant Daniel mainland litigation on local claims recently filed in connection with DiMuro, Ginsberg & Lieberman The documents, prepared by H. Nielsen, husband of Finance to ancestral submerged lands. the implementation of a federal got $50,000 to argue a$ I-million the Department of Procurement Secretary Lucy DLG. Nielsen, A local law firm, Eason & law prohibiting extension of fed lawsuit filed against CNMI in the and Supply (DPS) revealed that also got a new contract at Halsell was paid $253,000 for eral housing benefits to non-U.S. Continued on page 33 Sunset Advertising Group Presi- Continued on page 33 . Tobacco firms to do some .· Gov't agencies · 'se~king Y2K evidence gathering in NMI reimbursement By Ferdie de la Torre The applicants (firms), Variety News Staff through counsel Robert J. By Haldee V. Eugenio SOME U.S. tobacco companies O'Connor, said the testimony Variety News Staff facing a $700-million lawsuit and documents that they are AT LEAST three government in the Republic of the Marshall seeking to obtain from Deloitte agencies and programs are seek Islands (RMI) want to gather and Woseley are for use in the ing reimbursement for Year 2000 evidence from a private account "American Tobacco" lawsuit (Y2K) compliance of computers ing firm on Saipan to prepare pending in RMI. and embedded systems not funded for their defense at trial. In court papers filed Wednes under the U.S. Department of According to court papers, day in U.S. District Court for the Interior's Y2K budget. Brown and Williamson To NMI, O'Connor said the appli Bob Webb, the governor's spe baccoCorp., Philip Morris Inc., cants have secured from the RMI cial assistant for telecommunica and R.J. Reynold Tobacco Co., High Court an order authorizing tions and chairman of the CNMI sought federal court's order per them to get evidence in the U.S. Y2K Task Force, said the Emer mitting them to take the testi "Applicants do not ask this gency Management Office mony of and obtain documents Court (federal) to ado.pt elabo (EMO), the NMI Retirement Fund from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu rate special procedures for tak and the Commonwealth Ports (Deloitte) and its employee ing testimony 'and obtaining Authority (CPA) have a total of Christopher W oseley. Continued on page 33 $82,000 in reimbursement re quests from the government. "We have other agencies trying to request reimbursement for what IG audit finds Marshalls :: they spent on making their sys tems Y2K compliant; we 're try misused $17M US funds qti ing to help them," said Webb. The NMIRF, for example, was By Giff Johnson The scathing U.S. review of ·' able to make its systems Y2K For the Variety the Majuro-based bank's lend compliant way ahead of sched MAJURO-The Marshall Is ing policies said that political ule, spending about $38,000. lands Development Bank vio influence from and directives The U.S. Interior Department lated the Compact of Free As of the Marshall Islands Cabinet recently appropriated $1.3 mil sociation, U.S. federal and in the late 1980s through the lion for the CNMI to help fund its Marshall Islands laws, and its mid- l 990s caused the bank to Y2K program, but with certain own policies in the use of$17.5 issue numerous loans that could limitations. million in U.S. funds, said a not be collected. The audit is The rnillenn;um bug or Y2K just-released audit by the U.S. one of a series that the U.S. is bug threatens systems run by old Interior Department's Inspec conducting on Marshall Islands One-year-old Ricardo Diaz cries while sitting on the lap of Santa Claus. computer programs which will tor General's office. Confmued on page 42 The entire Christian world celebrates Christmas this weekend. AP Continued on page 42 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1999 -MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-3 2-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-FRIDAY- DECEMBER 24, 1999 . For current' ear . sinks in Philippines 0.8M spent on vehicles !' oed that they saw the ferry Commander Franklin Llanto, listing on its left side with no said the ferry's departure was By Jojo Dass $201,600forthe leaseofabout 14 yesterday. be paid at $147,000, while the The Department of Public Attorney General's Office will Safety requested for 11 vehicles lights minutes before it disap delayed three hours after in~ Variety News Staff vehicles for the different depart The Department of Public ments and ageI1cies. Safety is purchasing a 24-vehicle have six worth $44, l 00. aside from the 24 ones itis buy peared into the water. Crew specters found it carried 80 THE GOVERNMENT may be spending some $.8 mil Other vehicle companies tapped package from Triple J Motors The finance department's Rev ing from Triple J. The 11 ve members said they were hesi passengers more than its al lion in vehicle lease and pur are Trans Micronesia Motors, amounting to $187,000, the enue and Taxation will get two hicles will be paid at $130,000. tant to get closer to -the ferry lowed maximum capacity of chases for the current fiscal Triple J Motors and Joeten Mo records also showed. government vehicles to be paid at The Office of the Governor 614. for fear of being smashed into year, records from the Divi tors Company. The Office of the Governor's $14,400. also has about five vehicles to be Gonzales confirmed the de it by large waves, Regoya said. sion of Procurement and Sup According to DPS records, re Special Assistant for Administra Offices which have yet to have paid at $42,900. Reports from Bantayan in lay but declined to comment ply showed. quests for some $327,900 in ve tion wiJI receive three leased cars their requests for vehicles ap The records were obtained dicated strong winds and fog on whether the ship had been The Micro! Corporation got hicle lease expenses has been ap to be paid at $25,500. proved include the Department of through request made by virtue in the area, 300 miles south overloaded, insisting the ferry the chunk of the transactions al proved while about $259,416 The Department of Labor and Public Works, which is asking 10 of the Freedom of Information east of Manila. carried less than its maximum ready closed, receiving some more has remained pending as of Immigration will receive five, to vehicles at $70,600. Act. Regoya told the Coast Guard capacity when it left. the ferry's third mate - "We will never sail if we are Warlito Sobreo, who was overloaded," Gonzales said. Japan departures seen to among the survivors - said a Mercado said at least three big wave swamped the ferry, Philippine navy ships were peak around January 1st helping in the search and res· knocking out the ship's lights. By Haidee V. Eugenio holiday season compared to last Sobreo said the crew dis cue. Variety News Staff year. tributed life vests and imme Ferries are the main form of PEAK OVERSEAS departures JTB package tours also have diately launched life rafts, transportation among the Phil among Japanese tourists have more departures than last year •• sy'OOAf oass >.•.

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