FOLLOWING repeated requests from the Attorney General’s Office and a directive to file an answer from the CNMI Supreme Court, Superior Court Judge Kenneth L. Govendo has set a sentencing hearing for Jiang Hong Sheng who is no longer in the CNMI.
The hearing will be held on March 12, at 9 a.m.
The judge also ordered the parties to file a sentencing memorandum by March 5, and to appear at the hearing.
It was Assistant Attorney General J. Robert Glass Jr. who petitioned the local high court to direct Judge Govendo to continue the sentencing of Jiang Hong Sheng even after he had fled the CNMI.
On Feb. 2, the CNMI Supreme Court directed Judge Govendo to file an answer to the Office of the AG’s petition for a writ of mandamus.
Glass said the trial court clearly erred when it refused to sentence Jiang Hong Sheng in absentia, and refused to rule on the Commonwealth’s motion for sentencing the defendant in absentia.
Glass said the CNMI Supreme Court should exercise its mandamus powers to order the trial court to grant the government’s motion.
The defendant’s jury trial was held on May 14-21, 2018, and he was found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, and disturbing the peace.
The case stemmed from an apartment rental dispute that turned violent.
Jiang Hong Sheng was supposed to be sentenced on Nov. 27, 2018, but because of the devastation caused by Typhoon Yutu on Oct. 24-25, 2018, and the time it took for the Office of Adult Probation to prepare the pre-investigation report, his sentencing was reset for March 26, 2019.
Both prior to trial and during the pendency between conviction and sentencing, Jiang Hong Sheng was released on a cash bail of $6,250.
On March 26, 2019, he failed to appear for his sentencing hearing. A bench warrant was then issued and the defendant’s cash bail was forfeited.
His sentencing hearing was set for March 31, 2020, but this was vacated and delayed due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On July 21, 2020, the court reissued its bench warrant against Jiang Hong Sheng for failure to appear and set no bail.
Following that order, however, no other directive was issued by the court, the AG’s office said.
