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Pai now in acting role at OPA
Michael Pai is now acting Public Auditor after his six-year term expired last Monday.
Acting press secretary Ivan Blanco said the Office of the Governor already forwarded all pertinent documents to the Senate where the Committee of Executive Appointments and Government Investigation is tasked to review and recommend to either confirm or not Pai’s reappointment at the Office of Public Auditor.
Michael Pai
EAGI chair Sen. Francisco Cruz (R-Tinian) said his committee has already received Pai’s packet and that he has already reviewed the file. However, because the 2014 general elections is just a week away, he expects public hearings on Pai’s reappointment to happen after Nov. 4.
“I don’t think it’s going to happen very soon. Probably we will review it after the election. We don’t have enough time to review his reappointment,” said Cruz in an interview with Saipan Tribune last night.
Gov. Eloy S. Inos reappointed Pai as public auditor last Oct. 6. Pai succeeded Michael Sablan to the position.
Pai has been a certified public accountant for more than 20 years. He attended the University of Hawaii, where he completed degrees in engineering and business administration. He put up his own accounting firm in 1986, after working for a number of corporations and an accounting firm. He was also a shareholder for some businesses in Guam, Minnesota, and Saipan.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Jude U. Hofschneider on Friday swore in Saipan Casino Commission members Alvaro A. Santos, Joseph C. Reyes, and Juan M. Sablan at the Office of the Governor.
Santos is the former acting chief financial officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., while Reyes is a former chairman of the NMI Retirement Fund. Sablan is a former director of the Commonwealth Development Authority.
The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation confirmed all three last Oct. 17.
The Saipan Casino Commission was set up to regulate the nascent casino industry on the island. Best Sunshine International Ltd., which won the sole casino license, is building a $7.1-billion integrated casino resort on Saipan.
