Former IPI chairwoman in contempt of court again

Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona has found Cui Li Jie, former IPI chairwoman, in contempt of court again. She could face a penalty of $1,000 per day or even jail.

Northern Mariana Islands.- Problems continue for Cui Li Jie, former IPI chairwoman. She has now been found to have breached a court preservation order that obliged her to keep data from her mobile phone.

Attorney Aaron Halegua, who represents seven Chinese construction workers suing IPI, had accused Cui Li Jie of obstructing the case.

Now NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona has ruled that the court “found that Cui blatantly disregarded the court’s order by continuously deleting her WeChat messages even though the court’s preservation order required that she preserve all electronically stored information (ESI) data.”

According to Saipan Tribune, Cui Li Jie was asked to provide her computer for forensic analysis. She was also ordered to submit an amended sworn statement describing all ESI data within five days, to provide proof of purchase for the rose gold iPhone she recently brought, and to provide all remaining SIM cards she has in her possession.

The court also ordered her to file a sworn statement from the vendor confirming that the imaging of all devices has been completed and saved and that WeChat account data was saved within two weeks following the hearing.

If Cui Li Jie fails to comply with the court’s order, she may face a daily sanction of $1,000 or even prison.

Seven construction workers accuse IPI 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 order instructing Cui to identify and save all telephone data she used or created after March 26, 2020. 

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