By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

A LAWMAKER is asking his colleagues to form a task force to probe what he describes as the Commonwealth Development Authority’s “illegal lump sum payments” to employees.
In an interview on Friday, Rep. Stanley T. Torres said his office received a letter from an anonymous source requesting an investigation on the conversion of sick leave into cash by personnel at CDA.
Torres, Ind.-Saipan, said the letter stated that the scam is worse than the one at Northern Marianas College, which stopped the practice after the Office of the Public Auditor stated that it violated NMC policy.
Variety last week obtained a letter addressed to Public Auditor Michael Sablan on Dec. 4, 2006.
The letter was signed by CDA’s acting chief executive officer, Winnie C. Camacho, regarding the status of the conversion of sick leave.
“As was verbally communicated to us at CDA, this matter is in the hands of the attorney general. As you know, we are looking forward to a settlement before the year ends, but, as the months pass by, we do not see this happening soon,” Camacho stated in her letter.
It added that Sablan, and his staff “assisted us in all aspects of this case which we appreciate. Therefore, if it is not too much, we want to know where we stand (with the AG’s Office) at this time.”
Camacho wanted to know how long they were going to wait. “We need some response in writing, so we will all be content and make plans for the new year.”
In a telephone interview, Sablan said CDA’s letter was not received by his office.
He said he talked with Camacho on the phone and “she said she didn’t send any letter to OPA requesting such an investigation or follow up.”
Sablan said the letter obtained by Variety may have been “forged.”
Torres said he will bring this matter to the attention of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“Regardless of whether the letter is forged or not…the important thing here is we’ve been given information for us to work on. This is a serious case that we must look into. If OPA or the AGO cannot work on this because of manpower shortages, perhaps a task force can do the job,” Torres told Variety.