Saipan regulator sends 30-day notice on IPI over unpaid licence fees
The CCC says IPI owes US$62m.
Northern Mariana Islands.- The Commonwealth Casino Commission has sent Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) a 30-day notice to pay US$62m in casino licence fees owed for the last four years.
The Saipan Tribune reports that at the CCC board meeting last Thursday, IPI stood by a previous proposal still stands: Payment of US$5m a year for four years to the CNMI government for the casino licence fee and US$1m per year for four years to the CCC for the regulatory fee, in exchange for getting back its suspended casino licence.
See also: Saipan lawmaker calls for revocation of IPI’s casino licence
IPI also owes CCC US$ 17,625,000 from outstanding casino regulatory fees, fines and penalties, and unpaid obligations per a previous stipulated resolution, meaning IPI owes the CNMI a total of $79,625,000 from casino regulatory fees, regulatory fees, fines and unpaid obligations.
The suspension of IPI’s casino licence dates back to April 2021 when the CCC took the step in response to the company’s failure to comply with the commission’s directives in five separate enforcement actions. Propst, who also serves as the House floor leader, said he intends to collaborate with House Gaming Committee chair Ralph N. Yumul (Ind-Saipan) to engage with the CCC in seeking a resolution.
