IPI reports unsigned since CCC yet to license Yumul as IPI CEO

Commonwealth Casino Commission executive director Andrew Yeom presents his report to the CCC commissioners during the board’s monthly meeting yesterday at the Springs Plaza Building in Gualo Rai.
(FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC has submitted reports to the Commonwealth Casino Commission with no signatures since IPI has been warned by CCC not to submit documents with Ray Yumul as IPI chief executive officer because he is not licensed by CCC.

CCC executive director Andrew Yeom informed the CCC commissioners during the CCC board hearing yesterday that the submission of IPI reports with no signatures poses another problem in that these documents are now perhaps invalid because it lacks the signature of an authorized IPI representative.

In his report to the board, Yeom said they are reviewing this matter in their regulations and the Minimum Internal Control Standard to see if this is a violation.

Last March 1, Yeom told Saipan Tribune that the CCC board denied his (Yeom’s) recommendation to give a 90-day temporary license to Yumul as IPI’s CEO because the applicable fee was not paid in full. At that time, the application for Yumul as IPI CEO won’t be considered submitted in full until the payment is made in full, he had said.

Yeom told the CCC board yesterday that due to IPI’s non-payment of regulatory fee, they cannot issue new or renew casino key employee (CKE) or regular employee license of IPI for the gaming side.

This, according to Yeom, has put both IPI and CCC in a peculiar position where they are running out of personnel to submit reports/documents or to talk to CCC in various matters that need to be discussed for clarity.

Yeom said he and the rest of the CCC managers and staff are becoming perturbed on how to proceed in carrying out their job such as discussing or questioning various matters or receiving certain submissions without having to break their own regulation.

For now, he said, they have proceeded to process the registration of IPI’s non-gaming employees such as human resources director Redie Dela Cruz and senior vice president of public affairs Tao Xing.

“This is a borderline approach, but still valid because the registration of non-gaming employees is free of charge in our regulation and clearly stated in our application,” Yeom pointed out.

He added that they are proceeding it this way for now while not violating the regulation.

Yeom said it is concerning that they can only have IPI treasury director Frances Mafnas to sign and submit their documents on behalf of the company.

He said Mafnas is a regular licensed employee but not licensed as a casino key employee.

This is where it gets perturbing for CCC to accept these documents. He said, with Mafnas’ signature as the authorized IPI representative.

“Currently, I believe that is the only way for their submission to be treated as an official document although with concerns,” Yeom said.

He said they are hoping to find a solution soon to these “ambiguous problems.”

Last April 22, the CCC board ordered the indefinite suspension of IPI’s gaming license and directed IPI to pay $6.6 million in total penalty within six months and pay immediately $15.5 million and $3.1 million in annual casino exclusive license fee and annual casino regulatory fee, respectively. The casino has been closed since March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.