IPI licence revocation hearing rescheduled for February 20

Ongoing settlement negotiations were cited as the reason.

Northern Mariana Islands.- The Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) has announced a rescheduled date for the hearing on the revocation of Imperial Pacific International’s (IPI) exclusive casino licence. Originally set for January 31, then rescheduled to February 12, the hearing is now slated for February 20.

The hearing is related to IPI’s failure to pay the CNMI government its US$15.5m annual casino licence fee and US$3.15m in annual regulatory fees for the years 2020 to 2023. These fees now total US$62m and US$17.6m, respectively, for a total of US$79.63m owed to the CNMI.

Rafael S. Demapan, vice chairman of the commission, will preside over the hearing, which will address complaint Nos. 2021-002 and 2021-003. Demapan’s recent order granted an amended second joint motion to continue the scheduled enforcement hearing, citing ongoing settlement negotiations between the involved parties as the reason for the delay.

CCC’s executive director, Andrew Yeom, expressed optimism regarding progress in settlement discussions, stating that efforts are underway to reach an amicable resolution with the assistance of legal counsels. 

See also: IPI seeks dismissal of legal action against CCC and CNMI governor