IPI taps US mainland lawyers for hearing on revocation of license

Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC will be tapping the services of U.S. mainland lawyers for the hearings on the revocation of its exclusive casino license on Saipan, prompting IPI to ask that the hearings be held in May instead of this month.

In an interview with Saipan Tribune Thursday, Commonwealth Casino Commission executive director Andrew Yeom disclosed that IPI made a last-minute request during the CCC board meeting last month to hold the revocation hearing this May.

Yeom said that IPI asked for the extension because their lawyers from Washington, D.C. are going to attend the CCC’s next board meeting this month to finalize the schedule of the revocation hearing.

Yeom

IPI did not indicate how many lawyers will be coming.

Yeom said that IPI’s extension request was pretty much granted because he did not object to it. “I guess they understand that this is the final one. This is a revocation hearing,” Yeom said. “This is their final chance to comply.”

He conceded that he was not happy with the extension request because they were planning to hold the revocation hearing at the end of this month. He said IPI has had enough time because he filed the five complaints against IPI—each one seeking the immediate revocation of its exclusive Saipan casino license—in September 2021.

The complaints accused IPI of unwillingness to comply with the CCC’s final order in five enforcement actions that were previously entered against IPI.

Yeom said he was not happy but they want to give IPI the benefit of the doubt or due process, thanks to the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act.

He noted that the CNMI Superior Court recently affirmed the CCC’s order suspending IPI’s exclusive casino license, because he and CCC took their time and took each and every step carefully in dealing with IPI’s violations. Yeom said they gave IPI every single opportunity possible to comply and the court saw that. He said some people were not happy about CCC taking a long time to suspend IPI’s license, but that it paid off.

“Because if they complained that we didn’t give them due time, due process, and the judge says, hell no, they gave you every single right, as possible, but yet you’re the one who couldn’t comply,” he said.

Yeom said they gave IPI due process as much as they can, so there’s no excuses whatsoever when the final discussion is made about revocation.

He said IPI’s only remedial course of action is to comply or be revoked. “And to me, this is it. You have all this time to comply. We’re pretty much out of the pandemic,” Yeom said.

He said flights are coming back, especially from South Korea. “I’m getting calls, where is the casino? I want to play,” he said.

He said if IPI has the funding and pay all the money they owe, including some vendors, they can re-open the casino.

Yeom said IPI has become an impediment to the CNMI’s economy and there are retirees waiting for IPI’s license to be paid.

“If they can open up tomorrow with these travelers coming in, there’s a hope,” he said.