THE House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations will reopen the legislative investigation into the public expenditures of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, committee chair Celina Babauta said.
She added that it will be a continuation of the investigation conducted by the 21st House which included a report by the then-minority bloc on their findings and recommendations for oversight, reform, and continued investigation.
In the report, it was noted that over 100 trips were taken by the governor and his companions, costing roughly $500,000 in premium-class airfare, per diem, stipends, lodging, and ground or boat transportation.
According to the then-minority bloc, CNMI law prohibits the use of public funds for premium-class airfare for any person.
The report also noted that first lady Diann Torres accompanied the governor on a number of trips whose costs amounted to roughly $82,000.
“First lady” is not an officially recognized government position, the report stated, adding that CNMI Department of Finance regulations prohibit the use of public funds for travel expenditures for non-government employees.
The full 21st House Minority report can be accessed at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IhYEol7BIQg7PngeGAqrYW81NK8tJfem/view?fbclid=IwAR3WpUEi3r5DdI-js1TAhet2DN9JAocJHtbf2INeXTcDlMyktnEiweDw3yE.
Rep. Tina Sablan, one of the signatories of the report and a current member of the House JGO committee, praised committee chair Celina Babauta for reopening the investigation.
“I share her commitment, and the commitment of our colleagues on the committee, in conducting a fair, transparent, and thorough inquiry. Subpoenas will be issued. Hearings will be held. The governor will be afforded due process and an opportunity to fully respond to questions regarding his expenditures of public funds and conduct in public office,” Sablan said.
Asked for comment, Press Secretary Kevin Bautista said:
“The administration welcomes all legitimate inquiries, but the timeliness of this inquiry is questionable. This is another blatant political attempt by the Democrats and their Guam tabloid source to smear the Governor and this administration, while he continues to lead the work of rebuilding our economy and our Covid-19 response which has kept all of us safe.
“A bipartisan special committee was already formed last year and transferred oversight to the Office of the Public Auditor, which is the appropriate agency to review and investigate such matters. The Office of the Governor and the Department of Finance have cooperated fully in the past with last year’s special committee’s inquiries and hearings, taking time out to print documents for then-candidate Celina Babauta and their party for their Open Government Act requests. The findings of the special committee’s draft report showed no finding of consequence. The people elect their public officials to legislate and help the community. While there is a lot of good work being done by Governor Torres, Lt. Governor Palacios, the House minority, the Senate leadership, the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, and the Covid-19 Task Force to keep people safe and rebuild the economy, Representative Babauta and some of the Democrats are choosing to play politics once again. The Governor and Lt. Governor continue to welcome all members of the Legislature to the table to come up with solutions together to the islands’ complex problems given these unprecedented times.”
Celina Babauta
