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Torres: Villagomez should at least go on leave
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Posted on Aug 20 2008
Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez should at least take a leave of absence if he doesn’t want to resign, according to Rep. Stanley T. Torres.
Torres told Saipan Tribune that in his opinion, Villagomez should go on leave while the case is pending in court and while the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s probe is ongoing.
He said the lieutenant governor’s conscience should guide him whether to step down or continue with his job while the case is being tried in court.
“If he feels some impropriety, then I guess his conscience should tell him to step down or he may take a leave of absence,” Torres said.
Torres said he has not heard a single member of both the House and Senate pushing for Villagomez’s impeachment.
“The way American democracy functions, if a case is presented to the Legislature by the Department of Justice, the Attorney General, or somebody in law enforcement, if they come up and present evidence to the Legislature, then the Legislature should decide what to do,” he said.
The long-time lawmaker said members of the Legislature would then debate the issue and if it warrants the proceeding, then the Legislature would step in.
“The Legislature doesn’t have any investigative arm, unlike other states. Information coming from the general public or through the media is not enough,” Torres pointed out.
On his silence about the indictment of Villagomez, the lawmaker said he just wants to let law enforcement agencies do their job.
“I’m satisfied that something is being done about it,” he added.
Villagomez, former Commerce Secretary James Santos, his wife Joaquina Villagomez Santos, and former Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Anthony Guerrero were indicted on charges of conspiring to bilk CNMI and U.S. governments out of thousands of dollars through business deals involving chemical purchases for CUC.
Santos already resigned as Commerce Secretary.
