Propst: I stand by my complaint vs Espaldon

Rep. Edwin K. Propst (Ind-Saipan) slammed Guam Sen. James Espaldon on Facebook yesterday, saying in a social media post that the senator’s failure to apologize to the CNMI after being entangled in a multi-million scandal at the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. is both “arrogant and disrespectful.”

Propst, who had filed an ethics complaint against Espaldon in late 2017 for his role in a failed CUC procurement, said: “Let me say that it is the people of the CNMI who are owed an apology.”

The CNMI lawmaker had filed the complaint against Espaldon with the Guam Legislature after finding out that Espaldon was acting as a negotiator for General Pacific Services Marianas, which had a bid for a CUC engine.

The president of GPSM, Amelia Toelkes, is the wife of Robert Toelkes, who was involved with a previous business pitch to the CNMI government on a $160-million reverse osmosis system that did not come to fruition.

It was also learned that GPSM vice president Phil Roberto was related to then-CUC board chair Adelina Roberto. Former CUC board member Albert Taitano also acted as an agent of GPSM.

Once these issues came to light, negotiations between GPSM and the CUC board were immediately halted.

Propst’s ethics complaint against Espaldon in the Guam Legislature later resulted in a resolution that, according to Propst, effectively censures Espaldon.

During yesterday’s Guam Legislature session, Propst related that Espaldon reportedly chose a closed-door committee hearing rather than one that was open to the public.

“Do people deserve to know? Perhaps. But that is not the rules,” Espaldon reportedly said verbatim, according to Propst.

“In other words, Sen. Espaldon wanted to kill this resolution and his censure because of a technicality, and apparently, so did a few of his colleagues,” added Propst.

Espaldon reportedly pointed out in the session in Guam that Propst’s claims were mere allegations and lacked evidence.

“Yeah, we had some guy file a complaint against me from Saipan, but…they were just allegations. And when it came down to the hearing, did he present any evidence? No,” Espaldon reportedly said, according to Propst’s post.

In response, Propst said he was a “representative and a public servant of the people of the Commonwealth.”

“…I fought against a fraudulent $11-million power plant ‘emergency purchase’ in which Sen. Espaldon was the ‘chief negotiator.’ This power plant emergency purchase scheme eventually led to the firing of the CUC board by Gov. Ralph DLG Torres,” he said, adding that he personally discovered the fraudulent claims of GPSM, the company Espaldon represented.”

He continued: “While Sen. Espaldon threatened his colleagues with ‘collateral damage’ if this resolution goes through and demands an apology from his colleagues, let me say that it is the people of the CNMI who are owed an apology.”