THE Superior Court ruling that affirmed the Commonwealth Casino Commission’s suspension of Imperial Pacific International’s casino license “clears the path” for the revocation of IPI’s exclusive right to operate casino gambling in the CNMI, the commission’s executive director told commissioners on Wednesday.
In his report, CCC Executive Director Andrew Yeom said he was very thankful that Superior Court Associate Judge Wesley Bogdan, in his March 15, 2022 decision, “not only [issued an] order in our favor, but he did so in a timely manner [after] reviewing thousands of documents.”
Yeom said, “This ruling sets a clear and wonderful precedent for the upcoming hearings in that the commission has been on the right path thus far.”
He added, “One sure thing to take away from his order is that it is evidently clear that the commission relied upon an overwhelming amount of evidence and followed the administrative process in reaching our decision — IPI’s due process rights were not violated.”
In October 2021, Yeom filed the following enforcement actions that sought the revocation of IPI’s exclusive casino license:
• Enforcement Action 2021-001. For non-payment of annual license fee (2020).
• Enforcement Action 2021-002. For non-compliance with the working capital requirement for three months’ payroll.
• Enforcement Action 2021-003. For non-payment of regulatory fee (2020).
• Enforcement Action 2021-004. For non-payment of license fee due Aug. 12, 2021.
Yeom also told the commissioners that Judge Bogdan’s order reminds the commission “the need to stay the course to afford IPI their due process rights until the very final end of the upcoming revocation hearings.”
“I am fully aware [that some members of the public believe that] the commission has been moving very slow during this legal process,” Yeom added.
“I understand where they are coming from, but we need to remind ourselves and the public that the commission needs to strictly follow the law, our law, and give…due process…to [IPI] in anticipation of any and all [possible court] challenges,” Yeom said.
“Our legal actions may appear slow, but this is indeed the fastest and surest way to prevail at once, if and when the case is appealed [in court] such as this case,” he added.
Now that the commission has secured an order from the Superior Court, “we are in discussion with the Attorney General’s Office in seeking ways to follow this order, specifically finding ways to secure monetary penalties associated with the order.”
Andrew Yeom
