Mafnas told the Senate confirmation hearing that he would not have taken out Qingmei Cheng to massage the governor at his residence, even if the chief executive himself made the request.
But Mafnas does not believe the governor made the request to take Cheng out of jail.
When asked who made the request, Mafnas told reporters: “The governor did not request for that. I don’t believe the governor requested for it — specifically for that release.”
His predecessor, Dolores Aldan, who is now the governor’s special assistant for political affairs, said she made the decision to allow Cheng to be escorted to the governor’s residence because of the severe back pain he was experiencing at that time.
Cheng was taken out of jail without the U.S. Marshals’ consent. She recently pleaded guilty to a federal offense in connection with the failed attempt of 23 other Chinese nationals to illegally enter Guam on Jan. 5.
The Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Governmental Operations held a public hearing yesterday afternoon on Mafnas’s nomination as Corrections commissioner.
Mafnas held the same post in an acting capacity in 2006 and 2007. Until his recent appointment, Mafnas was the governor’s senior policy advisor.
Department of Public Safety employees and other cabinet members appeared in the Senate gallery to show their support for Mafnas.
Senators asked Mafnas several questions during the hearing, including his plans for those convicted on Tinian and Rota who must be housed at the federally funded jail in Susupe.
Mafnas said his department has fewer than 100 staffers who work on different shifts without night differential pay due to the CNMI government’s cash-strapped situation.
