AG pushes consolidated legal services for CNMI agencies

Attorney General Edward Manibusan extended Thursday his support as chief legal officer of the Commonwealth to the new administration of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Lt. Gov. Victor B. Hocog, writing to the CNMI chief executive of his goal to centralize and consolidate all legal services for autonomous agencies and public corporations.

“This is mandated by our Constitution,” said Manibusan, who asked for their support and a meeting to discuss the matter.

To accomplish this constitutional responsibility, the Office of the Attorney General “must require each autonomous agency and public corporation and to some extent executive departments to share the cost for legal services,” Manibusan wrote. He said the OAG does not have adequate funds to operate—a situation similar to an “unfunded liability” where the OAG is mandated to perform without being provided sufficient funds to comply with that mandate.

Manibusan believes autonomous agencies and public corporations have sufficient funding in their budget to pay for legal services, and these agencies would realize substantial savings if the OAG were to serve as legal counsel rather than retaining the services of private counsel.

The consolidation and centralization of legal services, Manibusan said, will achieve several key points: the Commonwealth will maintain consistent policy on legal issues: it will result in the efficient use of the Commonwealth’s resources; it would reduce conflicts between agencies; and it would allow assistant AGs to be in constant contact and would provide better procedures for legal work.

“…It will also place an obligation on assistant AGs to provide independent and objective advice which could be jeopardized when agencies hire their own counsel without my approval,” addd Manibusan.

“We began the process of consolidation with [then] governor [Eloy] Inos earlier in the year,” Manibusan said. “We have made some progress in integrating the OAG’s legal services with several agencies, but will need further discussion and collaboration.”

He adds that the OAG has a firm foundation for accomplishing this process, and that the support cooperation of the independent and autonomous agencies is necessary to achieve this consolidated effort.