CCC meeting on IPI casino licence rescheduled

IPI filed for an emergency temporary restraining order.

Northern Mariana Islands.- The Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) has rescheduled its deliberation on whether to revoke Imperial Pacific International’s (IPI) casino licence from today (April 2) to April 9. The decision was taken after IPI, through attorney Michael Chen, filed for an emergency temporary restraining order asking the District Court for the NMI to stop the commission from revoking its licence. 

During the revocation hearing in March, IPI presented a settlement offering to pay US$31m in arrears and an additional US$16m to lift the licence suspension while relinquishing exclusivity over its gaming licence. Governor Arnold I. Palacios rejected the proposal insisting that IPI should pay the full amount owed to the government: US$62m in annual exclusive casino licence fees and US$17.62m in regulatory fees, fines, and penalties.