OAG, OPA mend fences

Monday, November 26, 2012

Years of strained relationship between the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Public Auditor may have finally come to an end not only with the revival of the Attorney General's Investigative Unit but also as a result of renewed cooperation between the two offices initiated by the new attorney general, Joey Patrick San Nicolas.

Former AG Ed Buckingham, now a fugitive from justice, scrapped the AGIU, a joint effort between OAG and OPA.

On his first week in office, San Nicolas led OAG officials in a meeting Friday afternoon with Public Auditor Michael Pai and OPA legal counsels, including George Hasselback.

San Nicolas said he brought with him to the meeting other officers of the OAG. They included newly appointed deputy attorney general Viola Alepuyo, Civil Division chief Gil Birnbrich, Criminal Division chief Peter Prestley, AGIU chief Ed Cabrera, and victim advocate chief Dixie Inos.

Just letting them know that this is the leadership of the Attorney General's Office. and we're ready to work together on matters that affect both of our offices.. The Attorney General's Office is the highest law enforcement agency but we work closely with them as far as criminal [case] referrals and also referrals for collections, civil [cases are concerned], San Nicolas said in an interview at the lighting of a giant Christmas tree and Nativity in Susupe Friday night.

He said he and Alepuyo have been talking about the restoration of the AGIU for about a month now, and that he's glad to know that when he came in on Monday, AGIU was reinstituted.

San Nicolas left Saipan yesterday for a four-day meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Public trust

Sen. Frank Cruz (R-Tinian), chairman of the Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations, was relieved to know that the OAG and OPA are working together again.

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OAG, OPA mend fences