Fitial's sentencing brings to a close a turbulent era in CNMI

Transcript

The sentencing last week of the former governor of the Northern Marianas, Benigno Fitial, has been described as an historic moment for the territory.

Fitial was sentenced to one year in jail after he was convicted of misconduct in public office and conspiracy to commit theft of services while he was governor until 2013.

The saga surrounding Fitial's dealings, and the dramatic collapse of his political career, have created a storm of controversy in the CNMI in the two years since.

Jamie Tahana reports.

In handing down his sentence, Judge David Wiseman said Benigno Fitial's misconduct had eroded public trust in government, and that his decisions smacked of blatant arrogance.

He sentenced the former governor to one year in jail, after he pleaded guilty to two charges as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

Glen Hunter is an anti-corruption advocate who was one of the first to speak out about the case, he says the verdict is historic and sets a strong example.

GLEN HUNTER: No matter who you are, no matter how high you are in government, justice will be served. You can't violate the laws and no one's above the law. And to all the people who stood up and spoke out and risked their own safety, that their voices will be heard.

Benigno Fitial was first summonsed by the Office of the Public Auditor in 2012 following an investigation into the attorney general's office.

It found that in August 2012, Fitial ordered law enforcement officials to help shield his former attorney general, Edward Buckingham, from being served a penal summons as he fled the territory for Colorado.

As governor, he had also released a prisoner in the middle of the night to give him a back massage.

Glen Hunter says the web of corruption had spun its way through many branches of law enforcement, and in the end, it was up to the public auditor and the people to speak up.

GLEN HUNTER: Who is there for the public to turn to when something like that occurs? When the highest public safety officer is involved and the attorney general, who is supposed to be upholding -- by a sworn oath -- the laws of the CNMI, and then you turn around and you've got the governor himself. Who should the public turn to? So during that time a lot of people had to take it upon themselves to stand up and call for justice.

As controversy continued to mount, Governor Fitial was impeached by the legislature in February 2013 and, sensing the inevitable, he resigned ahead of a trial in the Senate.

That night, he fled the Commonwealth and it wasn't until months later that he surfaced in the Philippines.

After the court agreed to throw out an arrest warrant, he agreed to return to the CNMI last April.

Our correspondent on Saipan, Mark Rabago, says Fitial's sentencing marks the end of a turbulent era, but it might not be over yet, as the current governor, Eloy Inos, is said to be considering a pardon.

MARK RABAGO: It's kind of closure here, this saga, this era in the CNMI history is finished barring a pardon, and a pardon would open a lot of new controversies, [but] a pardon is still on the table and that's at the discretion of the sitting governor. So we'll have to wait and see the next few days.

A member of the legislature, Ed Propst, says there are many lessons to be learned from the past couple of years, and the public is now watching their representatives more closely.

ED PROPST: "This is not really a time to celebrate, but this is a time to reflect and a time to learn from this, and the takeaway here is that we as elected officials have to do a much better job than what we're doing right now and we are going to be held accountable for our actions."

Benigno Fitial is currently undergoing medical treatment, and his sentence will begin on July the 6th.