CCC board eyes new dates for IPI revocation hearings

Assistant attorney general Keisha Blaise, right, who is the Commonwealth Casino Commission board counsel, explains some procedures related to revocation hearings in the cases against exclusive Saipan casino licensee Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC during the board’s regular monthly meeting at the Springs Plaza Building in Gualo Rai yesterday. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

The Commonwealth Casino Commission board is looking at either October, November, or December 2023 as possible dates to hold hearings on CCC’s complaints that seek to revoke Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC’s exclusive casino license.

This would allow the prosecution to complete all the paperwork for the refiling of the revocation matter, according to the commissioners at the CCC board’s regular monthly meeting at the Springs Plaza Building in Gualo Rai.

In a later interview, CCC commissioner Edward C. DeLeon Guerrero said IPI that brought to the U.S. District Court for the NMI the five cases filed by the commission against the company that were originally scheduled for hearings before the board.

DeLeon Guerrero said the federal court issued a temporary restraining order and subsequently an injunction, prohibiting the CCC from revoking IPI’s casino license while the casino investor pursues its right to arbitration.

The CCC then appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, asking to have the federal court’s ruling reversed, which the appeals court later granted.

With that decision, DeLeon Guerrero said they are now back to rescheduling the revocation hearings. He said, though, that their legal counsel, assistant attorney general Keisha Blaise, had informed them that IPI had filed another request for reconsideration.

“I guess that’s something that we’re going to be discussing in the executive session,” he said.

DeLeon Guerrero said they don’t know what will transpire from IPI’s request for reconsideration.

He pointed out that the Ninth Circuit already issued decided that this revocation hearing is not subject to arbitration, so the federal court’s injunction that ordered them to participate in the arbitration was incorrect.

“So now we are back to recommend what we previously had attempted,” he said, referring to the scheduling of the revocation hearings.

DeLeon Guerrero said a lot could happen between now and then as he understands that IPI is also trying its best to resolve some of its obligations.

“I can’t go into details with those. But if they do, they need to perform, take care of their obligations…responsibilities,” he said.

The chair said there will be no need for the revocation hearings if IPI satisfies the matters that originally prompted the CCC enforcement actions:

IPI’s alleged continuing failure to pay the 2020 annual license fee and related failure to adhere to a CCC order;

IPI’s alleged failure to comply with CCC order to reserve a working capital (cash) for three months payroll and other obligations;

IPI’s alleged continuing failure to pay the 2020 casino regulatory fee and failure to adhere to a CCC order for an immediate payment of the fees, among other things.

IPI’s alleged failure to pay the 2021 annual license fee.

IPI’s alleged failure to pay the 2021 regulatory fee.

Each complaint asked the CCC board to revoke IPI’s exclusive casino license, among other things.