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Kilili: If AG did nothing wrong, release OPA report
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Posted on Jun 19 2011
If Attorney General Edward Buckingham did nothing wrong, he should release the Office of the Public Auditor report on his hosting of a campaign gathering for delegate candidate Joseph N. Camacho of the Covenant Party in 2010, according to Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan yesterday.
“I think the attorney general, if he’s done nothing wrong, should release the OPA report,” Sablan told Saipan Tribune.
Sablan, delegate candidate Jesse Borja of the Democratic Party and other concerned citizens including Glen Hunter asked OPA last year to investigate the attorney general and the OAG for their involvement in the 2010 campaign activities.
The delegate said taxpayers’ money was spent to hire a lawyer to help Buckingham in the OPA investigation on him.
“Over $12,000 was spent in his defense. But why is he not releasing the report?” Sablan added.
The CNMI government was billed $12,940 by lawyer G. Anthony Long, hired at $200 an hour to represent Buckingham in his official and personal capacity in connection with the OPA probe.
OPA released a confidential report on the issue in December, and Gov. Benigno R. Fitial had said he didn’t necessarily agree with OPA’s findings.
Public Auditor Michael Pai addressed the OPA letter to Buckingham and Gov. Benigno R. Fitial.
Buckingham and Fitial have not released the report or at least portions of it that would support the governor’s claim that the attorney general did nothing wrong.
Press secretary Angel Demapan said OPA reports are confidential and not subject to release.
“The administration has no further comment at this time,” he said.
On Monday, Buckingham filed a lawsuit against the public auditor over OPA’s hiring of lawyers, one of whom was the lead OPA investigator on Buckingham’s involvement at the campaign gathering held at the governor’s private residence in Gualo Rai on Aug. 28, 2010.
Private citizen Glen Hunter, who also filed a complaint with OPA last year regarding Buckingham’s hosting of a delegate campaign, earlier said it would not surprise him if Buckingham’s lawsuit filed against the public auditor over the hiring of counsels was a retaliatory action against OPA’s ethics investigation into Buckingham.
