Imperial Pacific International (IPI) has filed yet another lawsuit against the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC), even as the December 30th deadline looms to pay back $62 million in alleged unpaid tax and penalties owed to the commission.
The Saipan Tribune notes that a civil suit was filed in federal court against the Commonwealth Casino Commission, claiming the commission is taking a judicial role when interpreting the Casino License Agreement and effectively depriving its United States and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) constitutional rights.
The suit claims the CCC’s actions are a violation of due process clauses in the constitutions, with the law governing the CCC giving it ‘broad and sometimes exclusive authority’ in interpreting the casino license and how to adjudicate disputes.
The suit focuses particularly on the license revocation and suspension proceedings due to the non-payment of regulatory fees linked to the license agreement.
Also, given that the CCC is funded solely by the regulatory fees IPI has been mandated to pay, IPI claims that the CCC is impartial in its decision making.
Expert Ben Lee previously told AGB that the CCC was avoiding calls to disband in the likely attempt to regain back the funds allegedly owed by IPI, which would also pay the salaries of its members.
IPI is now calling the current regulatory requirement to pay $3 million annually to the CCC unconstitutional, while also aiming to block the CCC from exercising powers under CNMI law.
It is also calling for a court injunction against the CCC to prevent its jurisdiction in interpreting the casino license agreement and to adjudicate claims linked to the agreement.
