Lawmakers react to Fitial parole hearing

House Speaker Joseph Deleon P. Guerrero (Ind-Saipan) chose “not to take sides,” while Rep. Antonio P. Sablan (Ind-Saipan) said it is now time to “move on.”

When asked for a comment from Gov. Eloy S. Inos, Press Secretary Ivan Blanco said the Governor’s Office still needs to hear from the CNMI Board of Parole.

Lt. Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres also remained mum, promising that a statement will be soon be forthcoming.

These were some of the reactions yesterday while a hearing was ongoing to decide whether or not the CNMI Board of Parole will recommend a pardon for convicted former governor Benigno R. Fitial who was ordered last week to start serving his one-year prison term on or before July 6.

“For me, now that it is with the Board of Parole. We have to respect the process,” Sablan said.

He said the constitutional process of granting pardon is another process that the sitting governor may invoke.

For his part, Deleon Guerrero said “I chose not to take sides,” noting that the “process is now done” from the side of the judiciary.

Deleon Guerrero acknowledged that it is now up to the governor what to do next.

He said Inos has the sole authority to whether or not grant the pardon and that the Legislature and the courts can no longer do anything on Fitial’s case.

Earlier  Inos wrote a letter to Board of Parole chair Ramon B. Camacho, requesting for an initial and immediate consultation with the board to discuss the possible options available to him in the exercise of his constitutional power to grant pardon.

Inos said such consultation will assist him in making the “right decision.” The letter showed that Inos made such request to the Board last June 22 or two days before Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman sentenced the 69-year-old Fitial to a one-year prison term.

Yesterday, the Board of Parole unanimously decided to support a commutation of sentence for Fitial.

The five-member board came up with a decision after listening to testimonies and reading letters from people who either supported for pardon or objected to such pardon during a hearing held at Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose in Susupe.

Camacho explained that a commutation means a reduction of the sentence. It means that jail time or fine could be removed, or both, but the beneficiary of the commutation is still considered convicted of the offense.

The board also unanimously voted to object the granting of absolute pardon for Fitial.

Disappointed
After the Board of Parole made its recommendation, Rep. Edwin K. Propst (Ind-Saipan), a member of the minority bloc, took to social media to express his disappointment.

“Since I have heard that all the testimonials in favor of pardoning Governor Fitial deal with forgiveness and compassion and that we are a Catholic society, I hereby ask that we close our prison and pardon all prisoners. Why not? If you are going to pardon Fitial, then I ask that every prisoner be pardoned as well,” Propst said, on a post on Facebook.

“And while we are at it, let us close the prison and the courts and DPS. Let us just allow people to do whatever they want, murder and mayhem is okay, because we will forgive you. What’s that? You raped and killed people? No worries. You are forgiven,” he further said.