Ex-Rota mayor Mendiola surrenders

Former Rota mayor Melchor A. Mendiola voluntarily surrendered to the Department of Corrections on Tuesday morning and was released after his wife posted a $10,000 cash bail, according to attorney Joaquin Torres yesterday.

Torres said Mendiola was booked at Corrections but was not detained because the former mayor’s wife, Estrella, posted bail.

Torres accompanied Estrella when she posted bail.

The lawyer said he has no information as to when Mendiola arrived on Saipan from the U.S. mainland.

Torres said his client has been charged with criminal violations and that they are going to get the file from the Office of the Attorney General and go through it.

He said arraignment will be on June 7 on Rota.

“Right now, he is still innocent until proven guilty,” Torres said.

An investigator said yesterday that the arrest warrant issued by Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman last April 7 was served on Mendiola at DOC on Tuesday at 11am.

The investigator, who requested not to be identified, said the Office of the Attorney General called the Office of the Public Auditor that Mendiola was “coming in” and on his way to DOC.

OPA personnel then proceeded to DOC, where they served the arrest warrant on Mendiola.

The investigator wondered how Mendiola was able to enter the CNMI considering that OPA provided U.S. Customs and Border Protection with a copy of the arrest warrant.

Authorities failed to serve Mendiola with the arrest warrant after it was issued as the former mayor was in the U.S. mainland.

According to court papers, OPA charged Mendiola with theft, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, possession or removal of government property, conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking or disposition, and misconduct in public office.

Members of the CNMI Public Corruption and White Collar Crimes Task Force arrested last month several of Mendiola’s co-defendants, mostly former Rota municipal officials.

Sources said OPA initiated the investigation after receiving in February a letter from Rota Mayor Efraim M. Atalig, asking it to look into the former mayor’s “questionable transactions.”

Atalig allegedly discovered that government properties such as computer, laptops, folding tables, a typewriter, and other items were unaccounted for or missing.

Mendiola allegedly admitted to investigators that nine party tables were purchased using government funds and that he brought the tables to his house.

The tables were reportedly valued at $1,590.