Micronesian Legal Services burglarized twice

The Micronesian Legal Services fell prey to consecutive burglaries that happened last Thursday and over the weekend.

MLS director Jane Mack and staff attorney Vicky Taitano expressed their frustration over last week’s burglary at their office at the old Superior Court building in Susupe. The office is just a block away from the Department of Public Safety.

Mack said the office discovered the first break-in last Friday and found out that a computer desktop was stolen from their office. The office staff discovered that the burglar had cut through a window to gain entry inside the office.

Last Monday morning, they discovered another hole in the office and found out that a laptop computer was taken this time. Taitano said both incidents have already been reported to the police.

The police performed standard procedure inside the office right after the discovery of the incidents. The police said the two cases are under investigation.

Mack said she is very disappointed with what happened. She said it’s very frustrating that people would do such things to an office whose aim is to provide free legal services to the needy in the CNMI. She said the office has been in dire need of financial support to upgrade their system to improve their services.

The Micronesian Legal Services earlier disclosed that its annual funding has dropped to a point where it now finds it hard to sustain services to indigent residents needing legal assistance.

Earlier reports said the agency gets only about $66,000 per year these days—a huge drop when compared to what it used get from the local government several years ago.

Mack earlier said the agency used to get at least $200,000 from the local government in the mid-’90s. With no new budget being enacted in the last three years, Mack said they have been stuck with the same amount every year.

The office has been operating in the CNMI since 1971.

On average, the office serves 800 clients per year, comprising poor and needy members of the community.

Mack said the number of clients they serve increases every year.

The agency serves as the legal servicing arm of the CNMI community members who cannot afford to hire legal counsels to help them in their cases. However, due to the limited budget it receives from the local government, the agency’s services have also been limited.

MLS is one of eight field offices across the Pacific. The Saipan office currently has three resident lawyers, two paralegal officers and two secretaries.