Proponents want to use the gaming tax derived from Saipan casino operations for the Retirement Fund.
When sought for comment after yesterday’s hearing, Rep. Joseph M. Palacios, R-Saipan, said Govendo should not have recused himself because he, the lawmaker, is only asking for a declaratory judgment.
Nevertheless, Palacios said, “we are ready” to pursue the case as they wait for Presiding Judge Robert C. Naraja to designate a new judge.
“[The Saipan delegation] did act accordingly to House procedures,” maintained Palacios, referring to the Saipan casino bill.
Long-time casino proponent Rep. Froilan Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, met Palacios outside the judiciary building after the hearing, but declined to comment.
Palacios wants the court to declare that a local law is also a commonwealth law.
The Attorney General’s Office, which represents Fitial, has asked the local court to dismiss with prejudice the lawsuit, arguing that Palacios “lacks standing to bring this suit.”
The AGO said Fitial “fully complied” with the Constitution in vetoing the Saipan and Northern Islands Casino Control Act of 2011, or H.L.B. 17-44.
Fitial, who supports the legalization of casino gaming on island, said only a commonwealth law can legalize a casino on Saipan.
