16 Dec 2004

Former FSM speaker may face jail again

2:20 pm on 16 December 2004

The Federated States of Micronesia's Attorney General's office is attempting to send former Congress Speaker, Jack Fritz, to jail, for allegedly violating his parole by accepting a motor car which authorities say was stolen.

Fritz, who served more than 20 years in the Congress, resigned earlier this year after being found guilty on four counts of misuse of government money, and was sentenced to suspended one year jail sentence.

A probation requirement is that Fritz not violate any laws.

A motion filed by assistant attorney general Matthew Crabtree says that three weeks after Fritz received the suspended sentence, he and another Senator, Roosevelt Kansou, conspired to steal a government vehicle for Fritz' personal use.

Kansou is said to have instructed the Chuuk State Department of Public Safety to change the certificate of ownership of a government pickup truck to Fritz.

Mr Crabtree says Kansou is not legally entitled to transfer ownership of national government property.

At Monday's hearing, Mr Crabtree will ask the Supreme Court to revoke Fritz's bail and sentence him to jail.