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IPI subpoenas Propst, CCC chief
Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC has asked the local court to subpoena two CNMI officials, including Rep. Edwin K. Propst (Ind-Saipan), to testify in the upcoming hearing regarding IPI’s lawsuit against the Commonwealth Casino Commission.
Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth Govendo also subpoenaed yesterday Commonwealth Casino Commission executive director Edward Deleon Guerrero to testify in the case that was filed earlier this week against CCC.
Propst and Deleon Guerrero will be called to testify in the hearing today, where both IPI and CCC will argue their stance on the recently implemented temporary restraining order that prohibits CCC from disclosing IPI’s tax information.
According to Saipan Tribune archives, IPI is suing CCC for their plans to disclose to the Office of the Attorney General confidential tax return information that is allegedly protected under the CNMI Constitution.
IPI filed the suit in order to permanently prohibit Deleon Guerrero and CCC staff from disclosing confidential tax return information to the public even pursuant to an Open Government Act request.
In preparation for the preliminary injunction it is asking for, IPI petitioned the court to issue a temporary restraining order to restrain CCC from disclosing any tax information until the preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for July 9.
CCC, however, asked the court to dissolve the restraining order, claiming that IPI is not likely to succeed on the merits of the case.
According to CCC, IPI is not entitled to a TRO, preliminary injunction, or even a permanent injunction because they ultimately will not succeed in preventing CCC from allowing public inspection of the information it has collected.
CCC explains that IPI will not succeed in prohibiting the disclosure of their tax information for multiple reasons, including the fact that Commonwealth law requires the commission to obtain and make publicly available the information IPI seeks to keep confidential, IPI has no privacy rights because it is not a person, and because the matter is time-barred according to Commonwealth law.
