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Seeming free pass for IPI upsets Sablan
Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC may have already started to clear up its payment obligations to contractors but Rep. Tina Sablan (Ind-Sablan) pointed out that the CNMI has yet to see it pay taxes and other obligations it owes the government.
“If IPI continues to break its promises, continues to not pay taxes, not uphold its end of the bargain… if they continue to violate the law of the license, why are we not making any moves? Why are the regulatory bodies not making any moves to revoke the license?” Sablan asked. “Anywhere else in the world, that license would have been revoked a long time ago.”
IPI disclosed last Wednesday that they have already paid local vendors with outstanding payments of up to $300,000, but whether or not their $37-million obligation to the community benefit fund has been fulfilled remains a question.
“If you look at IPI’s record, the litany of laws they have broken, the litany of promises they have broken, the continuing violations of the license agreement, the question that I have [is] why are we continuing to entertain this bad actor with no consequences? There’s no suspension of the license, no penalties for damages,” Sablan added.
Last Monday, the House minority bloc released a collective statement that they just want IPI to follow CNMI laws and the provisions of the casino license agreement.
The group cited, among many others, the amendments to the casino license agreement that led to multiple extensions on construction deadlines, without penalties for the delays; the blocking off of half the road in front of the casino, “crippling many of the small businesses along that street”; and, its failure to pay its estimated $18 million developer’s infrastructure tax.
“I don’t know why certain powers-that-be are so reluctant to exercise their power. What is clear to me is that this community has no obligation to continue to entertain or do business with bad actors.
“We just continue to amend the license agreement, we continue to hope that they pay taxes, continue to try to negotiate some kind of settlement. And in the meantime, our government services are floundering, our financial state is dismal,” Sablan said.
