MPLA chief: Stay out of this

Marianas Public Lands Authority chair Ana Demapan-Castro has reminded the MPLA vice chair of his responsibility under the conflict of interest policy to abstain from making decisions concerning his nephew, former MPLA commissioner Henry Hofschneider.

Demapan-Castro made the statement, following efforts by MPLA vice chair Manuel Villagomez and two other MPLA board members, Nicolas Nekai and Felix Sasamoto, to get Hofschneider back in office.

Villagomez is the first cousin of Hofschneider’s father.

“It is no secret that the only reason why you are so hardheaded and are risking your integrity and good judgment is to try to protect your nephew,” Demapan-Castro said in a memorandum issued Monday.

“Thus, please consider this a friendly reminder that pursuant to the Government Ethics Code, you are helplessly conflicted from making any decision concerning your nephew. In other words, you have a non-waivable conflict of interest because the former commissioner’s father is your first cousin,” she added.

Demapan-Castro also noted that any violation of the conflict of interest statute carries a penalty of $500 per offense.

On Sept. 17, Villagomez and the two other board members signed a memorandum ordering Hofschneider to return to work, in an attempt to reverse Demapan-Castro’s order to indefinitely suspend the commissioner over alleged insubordination.

The three board members’ move, however, was rendered invalid, after Sasamoto and Nekai subsequently rescinded their support and signature “until such time that the full board meets to resolve this matter.”

Last week, the three members failed to show up at the meeting called by Demapan-Castro, apparently due to infighting among the board members over Hofschneider’s employment status. At that meeting, Demapan-Castro was set to introduce Edward Deleon Guerrero to the board as the newly appointed MPLA commissioner and Hofschneider’s replacement.

Yesterday, a public notice was published in a local newspaper signed by the three board members, instead of the MPLA chair. The notice, which announced a Friday special meeting called by the three officials, included only two major items in the agenda: the employment status of former commissioner Henry Hofschneider and MPLA regulations concerning the MPLA chair’s authority to hire and fire employees.