When Gregory Baka was designated the acting A.G. when Matt Gregory resigned as the attorney general, I thought at first that Baka maybe okay for the next A.G., even when Baka and I had a little squabble back during the 15th Legislature — he responded to me via e-mail with sarcasm but that didn’t have enough weight for me to oppose his designation as acting AG.
However, right after the governor nominated Baka to be the next AG, he immediately appointed Anthony Welch as chief of the civil division.
Mr. Speaker, let me say a little about Anthony Welch. I had two civil cases against Governor Fitial that Welch represented and I won both cases. And the third case was versus NMC President Fernandez and I won that too. Welch abandoned the case half-way because he couldn’t figure out how he would win the case against me. I got Welch three times!
Mr. Speaker, Welch as the head of a division in the Office of the Attorney General is an insult to the commonwealth.
Welch was an AAG for FSM back in 2003/2004. He and a fellow AAG were charged with obstruction of justice and terminated and were both told to leave FSM which adopted a National Congress resolution declaring them persona non-grata in June 2004.
Mr. Welch went to work with the Guam AGO for a few years. I guess he couldn’t handle Guam, so he tried his luck with the CNMI and made it with the then-AG Matt Gregory.
My accusation against Anthony Welch in 2007 was that he was harboring an overstaying Chinese woman. Welch denied harboring an illegal, stating that she’s only a friend and volunteering to watch his minor son. But he did admit giving only $200 as a gift to her. Earlier this year, I frequently saw him and the lady romantically dancing the ballroom way at the Godfather’s. You call that a volunteering friend?
Now, going back to Baka. There were very disturbing incidents in court about three weeks ago: the appeal in the MPLA case in the Supreme Court when the A.G. did not respond accordingly — the government could have won, but lost the case. Second, was a case involving a guilty sorry-huh verdict of a murder case but the acting AG did not appear at the appeal date in court. And the third is about a case involving attempted homicide and sexual assault case in which Baka advised to dismiss the case.
Do I understand that Baka was so excited of his appointment to be the next AG that he dropped everything that needs to be done since he is to be the next AG and all cases will be taken cared as he sees fit according to his discretion?
Matthew Gregory left the AGO without accomplishing anything that was supposedly to be solved under the white collar crime cases. AAG Nisperos, Jr. left without accomplishments. All white collar crime cases are again back into FILE 13! Collecting dust!
Mr. Speaker, having said all of the above, I like now to hear someone stand up in their defense. The governor needs to look for a better appointee.
REP. STANLEY
T. McGINNIS TORRES
16th CNMI Legislature
