House confirms Sablan’s appointment

The House of Representatives yesterday confirmed the reappointment of Michael S. Sablan to another six years as public auditor.

Twelve of the 13 lawmakers present voted in favor of Sablan’s nomination, with only Rep. Stanley T. Torres in opposition.

In December 2003, the Office of the Public Auditor and the Attorney General’s Office raided Torres’ office in connection with an allegation that Torres had a “ghost employee” on his payroll. Multiple charges were filed against Torres, but the AGO had all of them dismissed after over a year of court battle.

During yesterday’s House session, Torres asked his colleagues to defer the vote on the confirmation until Sablan has personally appeared before the House. But majority of the members already had their minds made up about approving the nomination. They agreed to meet with Sablan later.

Sablan is currently on a personal trip off island.

His nomination is expected to pass smoothly through the Senate, which had recently adopted a resolution asking the governor to re-appoint Sablan to the top OPA post.

Once confirmed, Sablan will serve at OPA for another six years. His term will continue even if his appointing governor leaves office.

Sablan was appointed to his first term as public auditor in 2000 by then Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio. Under his leadership, the Office of the Public Auditor issued over 80 reports, conducted 200 Ethics and Accountability presentations for over 4,500 employees, and made numerous recommendations to reform regulations to improve accountability over public resources including travel, procurement, and personnel.

He is also credited for OPA’s transition from 29 nonresident auditors and two resident auditors, to 18 resident auditors and one nonresident auditor. Within the last two years, OPA has also promoted one resident auditor to manager and three to senior auditor positions.

Sablan is a certified public accountant with a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to his first appointment, he also served as special advisor for finance and budget to Governor Tenorio, vice president/chief financial officer for Joeten Enterprises, assistant controller for DFS Saipan Limited, and in several other accounting positions.