IPI director denies blame for missing liquor

Howyo Chi says Clear Management controlled the vault where the bottles were stored.

Northern Mariana Islands.- Imperial Pacific International (IPI) director Howyo Chi has argued that the casino operator should not take the blame for bottles of whiskey that went missing from IPI assets to be auctioned.

Receiver Clear Management held an auction and sold most of the liquor. However, the winning bidder discovered that 17 bottles were missing. At the monthly meeting of the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) board, Chi said IPI did not have a key to the room where receiver Clear Management stored the bottles and that the building has 24-hour security.

Joshua Gray, an IPI creditor, has asked the federal court to hold IPI and Chi in contempt for failing to comply with a court order to secure IPI’s personal property.

Meanwhile, IPI haas applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company said it owes its creditors more than US$165.8m. The CCC has opted to delay its decision regarding the status of the company’s gaming licence.