By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

AT least four U.S.-based agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation are on-island to question some local lawmakers and other officials on disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s work for the Northern Marianas.
The four met with Speaker Oscar M. Babauta, Covenant-Saipan, yesterday afternoon.
Variety learned that at least one more CNMI lawmaker will be questioned to shed light on what happened during the 12th Legislature when then-Rep. Benigno R. Fitial, now the governor, became speaker.
Then-Reps. Norman S. Palacios and Alejo M. Mendiola had said they would support then-Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider for the speakership but ended up voting for Fitial.
Palacios and Mendiola were persuaded by then-U.S. House Majority Whip Tom DeLay’s staffer Michael Scanlon and former chief of staff Ed Buckham to support Fitial.
Abramoff was one of DeLay’s closest friends.
After Fitial became speaker, the cash-strapped CNMI government renewed Abramoff’s contract.
It was DeLay who blocked congressional bills that would have federalized CNMI labor and immigration laws which the local garment industry also opposed.
Fitial, a former garment executive, has described Abramoff as his close friend.
However, last year, his administration also sought “restitution” from Abramoff’s former lobbying firms — Preston Gates and Greenberg Traurig which were retained by the CNMI government from 1994 to 2001.
Government records show that CNMI payments to the lobbying firms reached close to $10 million.
Congressman George Miller, D-Calif., said federal authorities should investigate Abramoff’s improper dealings with the Northern Marianas.
He said the case against the lobbyist “provides a significant opportunity to fully uncover a long-standing but unresolved scandal involving Abramoff, members of Congress, their staff and others to prevent Congress from passing legislation to end serious labor, human rights, and immigration abuses in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and to investigate interference with local elections in that U.S. territory.”
Abramoff pleaded guilty on Jan. 3, 2006 to three criminal felony counts in a federal court related to the defrauding of American Indian tribes and corruption of public officials.
The following day, he pleaded guilty to two criminal felony counts in a separate federal court, in Miami, related to his fraudulent dealings with SunCruz Casinos.
On March 29, 2006, he was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $21 million.