A lawmaker has urged for all of the board members of the Northern Mariana Island’s Commonwealth Casino Commission to resign and for the immediate revocation of Imperial Pacific International (IPI)’s casino license.
Representative Marissa Renee Flores last week noted that “We have spent too much money and wasted too much time already on this failed monstrosity. The casino is a failure. It is a blight on our community and every day it continues to exist is one day too long,” as cited by the Saipan Tribune.
The lawmaker even stated that the casino project had caused the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to be blacklisted.
Citing the recent decision by mainland Chinese courts to condemn IPI’s former director for alleged criminal activities, the lawmaker chastised the board, noting “you did not regulate them well enough. You failed to conduct your due diligence”.
A representative for IPI claims that the former director, Ji Xiaobo has not been found guilty and that the court decisions did not in fact indicate that Ji is a leader of a criminal syndicate, as reported by media. The company representative also stated that IPI is not doing anything illegal.
The executive also stated he understood that potential casino investors had met with five CNMI legislators, but that they had requested that IPI be excluded from the meeting.
The company has now been tasked with handing over documents and information regarding the suitability of IPI’s owners – expected to be given to the CCC within 10 days.
The requested information includes that of all individuals associated with IPI – names, manner of association, any information on criminal investigations or convictions, investor details etc.
