“We will never request permission because it may jeopardize the pending case,” said a staffer from Maeda Pacific Corp on Friday, when asked if their company will seek permission to fix the sagging line.
“We cannot touch the poles because of the injunction,” the staffer said.
“We are hoping that nothing more serious happens,” he added, referring to the two poles to which the sagging line is connected.
About 400 linear meters of copper wire were left hanging on top of trees.
Variety was told that police have a “working relationship” with recycling centers on island, and have already alerted them about the theft that was discovered on Thursday.
There are about five recycling centers on Saipan.
The thieves may have cut into smaller pieces the over 1,000 linear meters of stolen copper wire from eight power poles because authorities will assume the stolen copper wire will be sold one time, Variety was told.
The perpetrators would want to immediately dispose of the wire to avoid detection by authorities, a Department of Public Safety source said.
Police are working on the case, the source added.
The erection of power poles in the Marpi area has been opposed by the Friends of Marpi which sued the CNMI government for lack of transparency in implementing a project that they say will mar the natural beauty of a historic and tourist spot.
Early this month, Superior Court Judge Kenneth L. Govendo issued an injunction that stopped the installation of power poles in Marpi until after the trial scheduled for May 1, 2012.
