Former IPI chairwoman accused of failing to comply with court order

Attorney Aaron Halegua, who represents seven Chinese construction workers suing IPI, has accused Cui Li Jie of not complying with a preservation order.

Northern Mariana Islands.- The attorney acting in a lawsuit against Imperial Pacific International (IPI) brought by seven construction workers has said that former IPI chairwoman Cui Li Jie “persisted in a pattern of obstruction even after the court found her in contempt.”

Aaron Halegua has reiterated his previous request for Cui to be found to have flouted the court for failing to comply with a preservation order to keep data from her mobile phone.

Seven construction workers accuse the casino operator of labour abuse and human trafficking. Cui Li Jie was named third-party witness in the case.

On March 31, 2021, the court approved a motion from the plaintiff and issued an amendment order instructing Cui to identify and save all telephone data she used or created after March 26, 2020. 

According to Mariana’s Variety, Halegua told the court: “It is already obvious that Cui has not complied with the preservation order.” 

He said the former IPI chairwoman “provided false answers” and accused her of creating a false story “about how she lost her Hong Kong SIM card and erased all data from the cell phone.”

Halegua claimed the Court should consider a finding of criminal contempt and the imposition of punitive sanctions.

In June, Cui Li Jie said that she was poorly represented in court by her lawyer, Juan T. Lizama. However, in an email disclosed in federal court, Lizama says that John Mo Shi Jian, a former University of Macau law professor, was giving Cui Li Jie bad advice.

IPI’s gaming licence has been suspended indefinitely as the operator failed to comply with regulatory orders.