Commonwealth Casino Commission Vice Chairman Ralph S. Demapan, center, speaks during a meeting on Tuesday. Also in photo are the commission’s executive director, Andrew Yeom, back to the camera, Commissioners Martin Mendiola, Mario Taitano, Ramon Dela Cruz and Assistant Attorney General Keisha Blaise.
THE Commonwealth Casino Commission on Tuesday rescheduled for Feb. 12, 2024 the hearing for the revocation of Imperial Pacific International’s exclusive casino license.
The commission’s decision was in response to the request of its executive director, Andrew Yeom, to “continue the hearing in February” because settlement discussions with IPI, “are seriously ongoing right now and we hope to have a meaningful resolution in February 2024.”
The commission earlier scheduled the license revocation hearing for today, Wednesday, Jan. 31, at 9 a.m. in CCC’s conference room at Springs Plaza in Gualo Rai.
According to the commission, IPI has failed to pay the $15.5 million annual casino license fee and $3.15 million in annual regulatory fee for the years 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. IPI’s debts to the CNMI government now amount to over $62 million in casino license fees and $17.6 million in regulatory fees.
In his report to the commission, Yeom said they are “making progress in the settlement discussions in … our efforts to seek an amicable resolution with the help of our legal counsel as well as IPI’s.”
He added, “Considering that the ongoing settlement discussion is making certain progress that began with having IPI take the initiative to dismiss their civil claims … we will have to request you to continue the hearing in February.”
In case the commission and IPI come up with a settlement “in the next week or so, we have to have an emergency meeting to confirm the settlement with you as well as to request for you to act on lifting the [license] suspension order,” he said.
“Once we have an agreement, I’ll be making an emergency meeting request … as soon as the need arises,” Yeom told the commission.
Present in the meeting were Commission Vice Chairman Ralph S. Demapan, Commissioners Martin Mendiola, Mario Taitano and Ramon Dela Cruz as well as Assistant Attorney General Keisha Blaise.
Chairman Edward C. Deleon Guerrero, who was off-island, attended the meeting via teleconference.
