Imperial Pacific requests review into gaming licence suspension
IPI says that it should be exempt from paying its licence fee to the Commonwealth Casino Commission for the last year.
Northern Mariana Islands.- Imperial Pacific International (IPI) has filed a request for the Superior Court in Saipan to review its casino licence suspension imposed by the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) in April.
The CCC suspended IPI’s licence for failure to pay its fees. However, IPI argues that the casino licence agreement doesn’t require it to pay an annual fee in the event of a natural disaster.
Imperial Pacific wants the Superior Court in Saipan to determine whether the Covid-19 pandemic could be considered a natural disaster or force majeure.
If the Superior Court finds in its favour, IPI could be exempted from paying its annual licence fee.
In April, the Commonwealth Casino Commission board ordered IPI to pay a penalty of US$6.6m, an annual casino exclusive licence fee of US$15.5m and annual casino regulatory fees of US$3.1m.
According to the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC), Imperial Pacific International had violated five orders including a failure to pay its US$3.1m annual regulatory fee in 2020 and failure to comply with an order to settle debts with vendors.
The casino remains closed since March 2020 due to the temporary shutdown imposed by the government amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In June, Cui Li Jie, Imperial Pacific International’s chairwoman, resigned due to “personal time constraints.”
Li Jie was found in contempt of court after being ordered to appear with CEO Donald Browne at federal court at an inquiry related to a lawsuit brought by the US Department of Labor.
At the time, Cui Li Jie blamed her lawyer and her lack of understanding of English. She said she was poorly represented in court Juan T. Lizama.
However, last week Lizama said that John Mo Shi Jian, a former Macau law professor, was giving the former IPI chairwoman bad advice.
Lizama stated: “Johnny Mo may be a law professor, but he has bad common sense. He is all for himself.”
