Torres says he will not resign

Although the House of Representatives has the numbers to impeach him, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said he does not intend to resign.

In response to a question during Tuesday’s radio press briefing, Torres said the issue brought up by the House of Representatives Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee against him is different compared to the case against then-governor Benigno R. Fitial, who was the first governor to be impeached by the House when 16 representatives voted for his impeachment in 2013. Fitial, however, resigned before the Senate could start the trial.

Torres said the House JGO Committee, which is investigating his expenditures of public funds and travels, should be composed of representatives who are fair and have no political agenda. He said JGO members should look at the facts and accept the facts.

Citing the testimony of Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Gary P. Camacho before the JGO, Torres said that Camacho addressed the $177,000 utility billings issue. The governor said Camacho acknowledged that the government did not and has not paid a penny to the governor’s account as they took care of that account.

Torres said he was the one who called CUC to look at the problem with the utility billings and then they addressed that issue.

“They [JGO] did not acknowledge that. There are so many issues that they didn’t want to acknowledge because they have their own political agenda,” Torres said, adding that he does not want to go into all the other details.

Last Sept. 27, Camacho testified that Torres called him in November 2019 and raised a concern about the high volume of water use at his As Teo property. Camacho said this led to CUC’s investigation if there is a water leak and the subsequent installation of a separate water meter to the piggery, which is located in the same As Teo estate. The governor’s brother, Jack Torres, owns the piggery.

The impeachment resolution alleges that Torres used his position as governor to commit theft of utility services by obtaining in excess of $177,000 in taxpayer-funded utility benefits from CUC for his privately-owned residences from February 2015 through August 2021.

The resolution further states that includes exorbitant utility expenses associated with the commercial piggery that was operating on his residential property.

The resolution alleges that Torres further requested and received unjustly utility benefits for at least two residences at the same time, in As Teo and in Koblerville, for a period of approximately 16 months.

At the radio briefing Tuesday, Torres questioned the composition of JGO Committee and said House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) should put somebody in the JGO Committee and in the Special Investigating Committee on Impeachment that have no political agenda, no political motive, and that would look at the facts and be fair.

Regarding his lawsuit against the JGO Committee chaired by Rep. Celina R. Babauta (D-Saipan), Torres said the case will proceed, but that he would like to make it on the record that House sergeant-at-arms Pedro Towai should not be named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit.

Torres stressed that it’s not just about the lawsuit, but the integrity of the governor’s position and the Office of the Governor. He said the legislators can’t just arbitrarily subpoena the governor for the reason that they are not happy with him.

“So now they can go ahead and subpoena the Supreme Court chief justice, subpoena any of the judges because politically they don’t like who they are, or they want to get into their expenditures?” Torres asked.

Babauta introduced Monday House Resolution 22-14 impeaching Torres for alleged commission of felonies, corruption, and neglect of duty in violation of Article 3, Section 19 of the CNMI Constitution.

As of yesterday, there were 13 representatives who have already signed the impeachment resolution. Torres will be impeached if at least 14 House representatives vote to adopt the resolution. Once the governor is impeached by the House, the nine-seat Senate will then hold a trial. If six senators vote for his conviction, Torres will be removed from office.

Gilbert Birnbrich, who is the counsel for the Office of the Governor, told Villagomez in a letter Tuesday that, given the significance of the potential removal of a governor, the Special Investigating Committee on Impeachment and the procedures by which it operates should be above reproach.

Birnbrich said as to the membership of the committee, they request that they be evenly divided among those who caucus with Republicans and with Democrats.