“I informed Mr. Nik Pula, [the director of the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs] that I will not be able to attend because I strongly feel that it would be a disservice on my part to leave the commonwealth when my lt. governor is undergoing a court hearing,” the governor said during his weekly conference last week.
He said the Villagomez jury trial is something that his administration is seriously concerned about.
“By sitting here for him is a very big support already,” he added.
Fitial ran with Villagomez in the 2005 elections.
In Aug. 2008, Villagomez, his sister Joaquina, her husband, former Commerce Secretary James Santos, and former Commonwealth Utilities Corp. Executive Director Anthony Guerrero were indicted on fraud-related charges.
Guerrero pleaded guilty in exchange for a more lenient sentence and agreed to become a state witness against Villagomez.
Commerce Secretary Michael Ada and other local officials are representing the CNMI in the Islands Business Opportunities conference set to conclude tomorrow in Honolulu.
