‘Look who’s conflicted’

With the Senate set on moving forward with the impeachment trial for Gov. Ralph DLG Torres on May 13, members of the House of Representatives and Senate minority members have raised concerns regarding a conflict of interest for Senate President Jude Hofschneider (R-Tinian) who also serves as the presiding impeachment officer in the upcoming proceedings.

According to Rep. Tina Sablan (D-Saipan), the arguments made by Torres’ counsel Anthony Aguon, hangs heavily on allegations of conflict of interests, yet is silent on Hofschneider’s own conflict, since the Senate president also stands to benefit if Torres is impeached and removed from office.

“The governor’s motion to dismiss hangs heavily on the conflict of interest he alleges I had when I participated in the investigation of Torres’ misconduct and when I voted on impeachment,” she said. On that note, Sablan said, if there is a conflict of interest that should be disclosed and warrant a recusal, it would be Hofschneider’s.

Christina Marie Sablan

“I appreciate and share Attorney Aguon’s confidence in the strength of my candidacy for governor. He talked at length about the financial benefits I would stand to gain when I am elected, but left out an obvious fact: If the Senate votes to remove Gov. Torres from office, one person in this chamber would immediately benefit: the Senate president, who would ascend to lieutenant governor, as the Constitution provides. Why is Aguon not calling out the Senate president? Why is he not accusing him of conflict and demanding his recusal? Is there a close familial relationship between the Senate president and the governor’s counsel that has not been disclosed? What about the relationship between Aguon and his co-counsel, Viola Alepuyo, who helped draft the rules for the Senate’s impeachment trial? No conflict there? Maybe just a lot of hypocrisy,” she said.

As of 7pm press time, the Senate president had yet to issue his statement on these concerns.

Hofschneider

Sablan pointed out that she had consulted with lawyers and was assured that there is no conflict of interest on her part.

“I consulted with several attorneys before and after I accepted the Democratic nomination for governor. There was no conflict for me. The law prohibits public officials from voting on official decisions if they may benefit from the matter under consideration, unless the potential benefit is incidental to the position. A benefit is incidental if the official receives it by virtue of holding that position. A salary is incidental to a position. That is the case here,” she said.

“However, I am still just a candidate for governor, and we have a long way to go before November. The potential benefit of the governor’s salary is not only incidental, it is also totally speculative for me. In other words, I still have to win an election regardless of what happens with Ralph Torres in impeachment. In the meantime, I remain a legislator, with a job to do and a constitutional oath to faithfully uphold. And I will continue to do so as long as I am in office,” Sablan added.

During last Friday’s special session to vote on Torres’ motion to dismiss the Articles of Impeachment, Sen. Paul Manglona (Ind-Rota) brought up Sablan’s allegation of Hofschneider’s possible “conflict of interest,” specifically that the Senate president would become lieutenant governor if the governor is convicted and removed from office.

He also raised the question of close familial ties between Torres’ legal counsel and the Senate president.