THE House Ways and Means Committee on Monday asked Tinian Municipal Council Treasurer Barbara Borja to submit documents showing the current balances for all the island’s accounts including American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The committee’s chairman, Rep. Ralph N. Yumul, requested Borja to provide the records within five business days, or by 5 p.m. of July 24, at the latest.
He said if the committee does not receive a response from her by the deadline, she may be subjected to a subpoena or a subpoena duces tecum and will be legally compelled to appear and testify before the committee and to produce the documents the committee is requesting.
Yumul said if she fails to appear or provide the documents, she can be held in contempt and face a jail term up to one year and a fine of up to $1,000.
The House Ways and Means Committee wants to see Tinian’s accounts including but not limited to local funds, special accounts, tribunal funds, professional services, ARPA funds, revolving funds or any account to which the Tinian Municipal Treasury and the Tinian Mayor’s Office have access or expenditure authority over the time period of January 2021 to the present.
The committee is also asking for copies of documents related to tracking, accounting, receipt, expenditure or transaction of funds for the period of January 2021 to present, pertaining also to local funds, special account funds, ARPA capital improvement funds, tribunal funds, revolving funds and other federally sourced funds.
During a budget hearing for Tinian last week, Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan told the committee that if the Legislature would approve Gov. Arnold I. Palacios’ proposal to cut Tinian’s budget by $2.7 million, “you’ll leave me no choice” but to bring the central government to court.
Ralph Yumul
