Sen. Karl King-Nabors, right, listens to Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider during a break from the 23rd Senate’s sine die session on Friday.
SENATOR Karl King-Nabors, set to be Senate vice president in the 24th Legislature, said he will continue the investigation into the current administration’s use of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The investigation was initiated by outgoing Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero, who formed a special committee to look into the $225 million in ARPA funds deposited in the Bank of Guam.
King-Nabors chaired the special committee.
In a report, he informed the Senate president that although CNMI Treasurer Asuncion S. Agulto submitted “voluminous documents,” she did not comply with the subpoena.
“It is unfortunate that the special committee was unable to reconvene and meet with Treasurer Agulto once more, to clarify the documents submitted. Time was not in our favor. Absent a clear understanding of the submission of documents in the fashion requested by the Senate fiscal analyst, it is difficult to provide an official recommendation on the two objectives of the special committee,” King-Nabors said.
However, he added, “it would be unjust to the efforts made by the special committee to not allow the work to carry forward in the future as the 23rd Senate approaches…sine die” adjournment.
For this reason, the Tinian Republican said that as an incumbent member of the Senate in the 24th Legislature, “and due to the confidential nature of the information submitted to the special committee for investigative purposes,” he wants to “maintain custodianship of the documents for the next legislative term pending concurrence by the incoming Senate leadership on how to proceed on the matter.”
At the same time, King-Nabors expressed his sincere appreciation to Agulto and her team for their cooperation.
Although the special committee was unable to fulfill its task prior to the end of the 23rd Legislature, he said he firmly believes that the CNMI treasurer remains committed to her duties in her official capacity and is hopeful she will extend the same courtesy to future Senate committees.
