“Tell Govendo to stop smoking marijuana. That’s his favorite. He loves to send people to jail and he himself smokes marijuana. That guy has to pay his dues, too. Tell him to go to jail for smoking marijuana. He is not supposed to sit on the bench. Let the whole Marianas understand this,” Atalig said.
He said he was witnesses to prove that Govendo smokes marijuana.
“Govendo” here is Associate Judge Kenneth Govendo of the Superior Court of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Now, this is a very serious accusation by Mr. Atalig of a man of a court of law. And, it coming from Mr. Atalig, an officer of a court of law, the matter must be taken seriously when it comes to violation of the law, especially if by men of the law or courts of law.
There appears have a mockery of our justice system. If Mr. Atalig’s accusation is true, then we must rid our judicial system of the mocker. I have spent time with Mr. Atalig in jail (I was wrongly put there) and, if I recall correctly my conversations with him there, Mr. Atalig has more to disclose, more names.
As a layman, I demand an investigation by our law enforcers and our lawmakers for criminal prosecution and impeachment of mockers of our legal system. We must cleanse the system of any such mockery, and mockers, and send the message that no one, especially he or she who is put in a position of high public trust, is above the law.
Yes, I was wrongly imprisoned, or denied me my constitutional right to liberty, without due process of law, many times — and once for exercising my First Amendment right of free speech — all in violations of 18 U.S.C §241 & §242. But this is another matter, but which I will be bringing to justice in due time, as I believe it to be my duty to do as a law abiding citizen.
JOHN S. PANGELINAN
Capital Hill, Saipan
