Torres, Ind.-Saipan, wants to suspend the island’s zoning law and has been critical of the Zoning Board. He said OPA issued on Aug. 25 an opinion about a lawmaker introducing a bill to re-zone certain areas where the lawmaker’s relatives own land.
OPA said this violates the Ethics Act, the Constitution and the House of Representatives Rules and Procedures.
Neither the complainant nor the legislator involved were identified by OPA.
Torres is asking for a copy of the complaint that alleges misconduct by the legislator, any document sent to a person under investigation and proof that a rezoned area included “a single parcel of land owned by a relative” of the lawmaker.
Torres also urged OPA to study the family trees in the CNMI.
OPA, he added, should give the legislator involved the chance to be informed of the complaint and to answer it.
“They came up with such an opinion on Aug. 25, yet they never informed the House speaker about the complaint.
That is supposed to be their duty,” Torres said, referring to OPA.
“If they are referring to me since I am the only one who introduced such legislation then I am ready to answer them. But they never even bothered to inform me,” he said.
