The $5.9 million that the Superior Court ordered the CNMI government to pay Anthony Pellegrino’s Marianas Revitalization Corp. is now $8.2 million due to the interest that has accumulated.
The court earlier this year allowed MRC and Pellegrino to seek relief, which included garnishing of federal funds, if the CNMI government would fail to comply with the court order.
Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos met with the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives on June 26 to discuss the MRC debt.
Inos said the administration and the Legislature may be able to reach an agreement on how to move head with the final settlement of the debt.
The government entered into an agreement with MRC more than 10 years ago, and this paved the way for the construction of the slipping docks at the Outer Cove Marina where the private firm was supposed to charge usage fees.
But MRC said the government breached their agreement.
Inos said the administration wants to resolve this issue.
The administration and Pellegrino, he added, are discussing how they can best resolve the problem.
Inos is confident that they will come into an agreement, saying that Pellegrino is very cooperative.
Rep. Victor B. Hocog, Ind.-Rota, said one of the options they discussed was paying MRC with public lands, although this may involve constitutional issues.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, for his part, said the government’s debt to MRC “is another problem created by politics.”
